Altered Circumstances
by Aesop
Summary: A small change. A selfless if hasty, choice. A life can be changed for the better or worse If Naruto Uzumaki had met the right person at the right time...
1. A Chance Meeting

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH.1 Chance meeting

Denkouyama Hiroshi was not an exceptional ninja, not according to his teammates or sensei at any rate. He was a ninjutsu specialist and had no talent at genjustsu at all. His taijutsu was barely acceptable according to his sensei. Of course, his sensei wasn't saying much anymore. Kurama-sensei and one of his teammates had been killed on a mission the week before.

Two missing nin, chunin level according to the bingo book Hiroshi had later consulted, had ambushed them on behalf of the smuggler the team had been tracking. The battle had been short, but fierce and Hiro had been the only one to escape unharmed. His remaining teammate, Takeda Aiko, had killed one of the missing nin, but had taken two deep sword wounds in the process. The medics said that she would be at least two months recovering.

Hiro had killed the remaining nin, his first kill, by using a family jutsu. It was one that Kurama-sensei had always called a 'cheap trick.' Cheap or not, it had gotten him and Aiko home safely or at least alive.

With Aiko facing a long recovery and the rest of his team dead, Hiro found himself at loose ends. He trained daily, as all dedicated ninja did, but there was virtually no income without missions. The D-ranks he was able to get helped some, but there were only a few that could be handled by one person, let alone a genin six months out of the academy. After doing three in one day, exhausting but he really needed the money, he was headed home. The last thing he needed was unlooked-for trouble to divert him from his soft bed. Naturally, that was what materialized in the form of a fight in an alley.

 _Don't get involved_ , he told himself, _it doesn't concern you_. He looked anyway and stopped in his tracks. _What the-?_ A kid. There was a ninja he didn't recognize beating the daylights out a blonde boy who couldn't have been more than seven.

"Monster!" the man snarled aiming a kick at the boy that was already curled into a ball on the ground. "Why has the Hokage let you live?!" He drew back for another kick but instead jumped back to avoid the flying kick that Hiro aimed at his head.

The genin had only a few seconds to take in the man's appearance and chakra level. He was high chunin at least, probably jonin. _Not good_.

"Don't interfere," the man snarled. "That demon is getting what's coming to him!"

 _He's talking_ , Hiro realized, only slightly relieved. _More time to think_. "He's just a kid. What could he have done to justify that?"

"Not your business," he spat. "Move now and I won't kill you for defending that _thing!_ "

"Not gonna happen," Hiro told him flatly, preparing to die.

The boy he was defending provided the distraction at that moment. "I din't do nothin'! Why-"

"Shut up, demon!" the jonin snapped. "You killed them! Our comrades, our Hokage. Don't think you're fooling anyone!"

"The Hokage?" Hiro stared at the man in confusion. "The Yondaime? He died killing-"

"That is the demon!" the man insisted. He had to stop himself from glancing at the boy behind him. The man thought that the kid was the Kyuubi no Kitsune?

"I see," Hiro nodded. "You're crazy." Giving up on reasoning with the man, he made three quick hand seals and snapped his arms wide. "Raiton: ko hibana!" Lightning arced between his palms and, at his command stretched out toward the jonin. The man jumped back, caught off-guard by the unfamiliar jutsu. It served two purposes. It drove his opponent back the necessary distance for his next jutsu and it created a flash of light bright enough to catch the attention of any nearby ANBU.

While drawing the kunai he would need, he stretched his senses, trying to get an idea of how long it would be before help arrived. He almost dropped the kunai at what he discovered. _I am so screwed_.

Then there was no time to think, only act and react. The split second hesitation had given the jonin time to attack. He had, fortunately, chosen to throw a brace of shuriken instead of charging. Hiro blocked with his kunai, not daring to dodge while the helpless boy was behind him, and succeeded in diverting all but one the opened a gash in his left bicep. Then he threw his kunai, his hand slipped into the long practiced single hand sign for the Jisei no jutsu as soon as the blade left his hand.

The jonin naturally saw the blade and the explosive tag attached. He also noted the hand sign, although he wasn't sure of its purpose. Playing it safe, he sidestepped rather than blocked, planning to let it sail into the street behind him. His eyes widened in surprise as the blade changed trajectory in midflight struck the metal guard on his forearm, adhering to it. Hiro did not see this. He had already turned and thrown himself down over the boy while praying his cheap trick worked again.

The note was keyed to detonate on impact and the blast had the desired effect. Shrapnel and a few softer objects he preferred not to think about struck his back and head, but none hard enough to cause injury.

The explosion brought him the attention he'd wanted earlier, but he wasn't sure he should be celebrating that. Three masked ANBU landed in the street beyond the alley and quickly moved to secure the scene. He identified himself to the one that addressed him and stood back while the ANBU operative examined the boy.

"Your intervention is appreciated Denkouyama-san. We will deal with the situation from here." He finished his examination of the boy. "You'll live, Uzumaki." Then, to Hiro's shock, he grabbed the boy by the collar and tried to haul him upright despite one leg being obviously broken.

Uzumaki Naruto, Hiro recognized the name and belatedly realized who he had rescued, howled in pain and dropped as soon as he was released.

"What are you doing?" Hiro demanded. "He needs a hospital. I think he has some broken ribs as well. He needs to be moved carefully."

"Hardly," the masked ninja snorted. "Nothing keeps that one down long, unfortunately." He turned to face Hiro directly. "Our duties lie elsewhere. If you feel he needs medical treatment take him to the hospital. Either way, he'll be fine."

Before he could think of a suitable answer there was a strangled cry and he looked to the spot that his opponent had been thrown by the blast. Amazingly enough, the man had survived the explosion, though it was unclear how long he would have survived. One of the ANBU had buried a kunai in the man's chest. "Why..?"

"He broke the Sandaime's law," the man answered, pulling out the blade and wiping it clean on the dead jonin's shirt. Hiro had enough puzzles on his hands at the moment, and shelved questions about that until later.


	2. A New Mission

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH.2 New mission

It had taken some time and ingenuity, but he had gotten Naruto to the hospital alone without further aggravating his injuries. The medics took him in, although they seemed curiously reluctant to do so. That reluctance vanished when the Sandaime Hokage arrived to check on the boy himself.

Hiro had been ready to go home at that point. He had stuck by the kid when he was admitted and through his initial treatment, providing a silent witness to any potential abuse the medics might have wanted to visit on the boy. When the Sandaime showed up, that no longer seemed necessary. Before he could leave, though, the Hokage had cornered him and asked him to report to his office first thing in the morning. That had not proved conducive to a good night's sleep.

Approaching the door to the Hokage's office, he tried in vain to reassure himself. He had acted to protect a child from a deranged man. His actions had been entirely justified.

The Hokage's secretary waved him through, and he stepped into the office to find the old man signing a document and reaching for another from a tall stack that sat on the left-hand side of the desk. Hiro felt his eyes widen in horror at the sheer size of the stack.

The old man chuckled at his expression. "Frightening, eh?" He lay down his pen and sighed. "Some days I simply deny every third one without looking at it. Saves time and half of them are inane requests from the council anyway." Hiro decided that a response to this was not required and said nothing.

"To business, then," the Hokage agreed. "I wanted to thank you for intervening on Naruto's behalf. There aren't many, I'm sad to say, who would." He looked down at his desk for a moment, a pained expression on his face. "I've seen the ANBU report of the incident, but I'd like you to tell me directly what happened."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." In as professional a manner as he could, he described his fight with the jonin and the reactions of the ANBU after they had arrived.

"The ANBU were aware?" The old man's tone was suddenly hard.

"I don't see how they couldn't be. They weren't making much effort to suppress their chakra. I detected them across the street on a roof with a clear view of the alley." The Hokage frowned fiercely, but then shook his head as if setting the matter aside for later consideration. "Hokage-sama… That jonin was still alive when they arrived. One of them killed him, he said, for violating your law. What was he referring to? Is there a law in place specifically to protect Uzumaki?"

"Not exactly," the Hokage answered, seeming to consider his words carefully. "What did Oshiro Yoshi say exactly?" Hiro blinked at the unfamiliar name. "The jonin you fought."

"I don't think he was entirely sane, Hokage-sama. He kept going on about the boy being a demon, that he had killed the Hokage and many of our comrades." The old man again looked pained.

"If I'd known then," he muttered sadly. "I have too much faith in our people sometimes."

"I don't understand," Hiro answered bluntly, thoroughly confused.

"Please, take a seat," the Hokage gestured to a chair. "I have a lot to tell you, and I need you to understand the importance of secrecy in this matter. When I am finished I will offer you a long term mission. You may feel free to decline, but I am hoping that my initial assessment of your character is correct."

Hiro sat down and waited.

"Eight years ago," the Hokage began, "I was blissfully retired and my successor was doing a fine job running the village. Then the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked." He sighed. "You were too young to really remember much of what happened. All the civilians were rushed to the shelters and stayed there until the fight was over." Hiro nodded. He did remember huddling in the shelter with a number of other frightened people. No one would tell the younger children what was happening.

"I remember how frightened everyone in the shelter was, but no one would tell us anything."

The Hokage nodded. "What happened is a closely guarded secret now. It has to be because of a terrible mistake I made. You see, the Kyuubi did not die. It couldn't be killed. The best the Yondaime could do was seal it away so it couldn't hurt anyone else. Sadly, such a powerful creature couldn't be sealed inside an inanimate object. He needed living human host, specifically a newborn baby. No one older would have survived and we would have been back where we started without the Yondaime to protect the village. The jutsu used to seal the Kyuubi required a sacrifice. He chose himself."

"And the baby? Naruto?"

"He was the only candidate. The only child born that day." The Yondaime also would not have wished the burden on anyone else's child. His own son was the perfect candidate. This, however, was not something that Hiro needed to know. "The boy's mother died in childbirth. His father died fighting the demon. He was the best choice. The Yondaime wished the boy to be seen as a hero, protecting the village by containing that creature."

"It didn't work out," Hiro guessed.

"No. It didn't. I foolishly let it be known that the boy was a jinchuriki and explained the Yondaime's reasons and wishes. They insisted on believing the boy was the demon in a new form."

"That's ridiculous," Hiro shook his head, baffled. "The way you describe it he's the prison, not the prisoner, not the demon itself."

"That is exactly correct," the old man smiled, pleased that his instincts had been right about the boy. "He is no more to be feared or hated than a cage that keeps a dangerous animal at bay."

"And the law that ANBU mentioned, Hokage-sama?"

He nodded gravely. "I realized my mistake too late. I had only told the clan heads and civilian council, fortunately, but that was too much as it was. Word spread and the ANBU actually had to intercept several assassination attempts. When I realized that Minato's last wishes were being ignored, I made Naruto's status a secret, and passed a law forbidding anyone to speak of it to another that did not already know. For obvious reasons, Naruto is exempt from this."

"Does he know?"

The Sandaime shook his head. "He is too young."

"Too young to know why people hate him?" His tone was sharper than intended and he ducked his head at the look the Hokage gave him. "I'm sorry," he began.

"No. You're right, and I'm glad to see you speaking up for him. I wanted to give the boy as normal a life as possible, but the children have learned from their parents to distrust Naruto even if they aren't told why. It is not a normal life and I can't look after him as I'd like to. That brings me to you."

"Me, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes. I am familiar with your situation. How is your father doing?"

"Adapting," Hiro answered, recalling his father's struggles after losing much of his right leg on an A-rank mission a few months before. "The puppet leg that medic from Suna fitted him with takes time to get used to, but he's moving around more easily now."

"Good. It was a terrible loss to our ranks. I had hoped he would take on a genin team this year."

"I think he would have liked that," Hiro nodded, certain his father would have made an excellent jonin-sensei.

"The loss of your own team has left you in a difficult position, has it not? There are only so many D-ranks that one person can do and it will make training difficult. Normally, we would assign you to teams that require a temporary substitute or an extra hand for particular missions, at least until the next Academy graduation. Not an ideal situation for advancing your ninja career. I have an alternative, though."

"Alternative?"

"Yes. I have a long-term C-rank mission for you." He explained his idea. "Naruto has been on his own for over three years. The orphanage mistreated him, so I provided a place he could live on his own, and looked after him from a distance as best I could. He needs someone to help him and make sure that situations like the one last night don't occur again."

"He needs a caretaker or a bodyguard?"

"A bit of both," the Sandaime allowed. "You would play the big brother, keep him out of trouble and protect him." Hiro was silent for a moment. "I know it's a big responsibility, but he needs someone, and you are the best candidate for this mission."

"I've no grudge against him, and I'm available."

"Precisely," the Hokage allowed a smile.

"I accept." He was happy to do so, not simply because it solved his most immediate problem, but because it was the right thing to do, both for the boy and for Konoha. Konoha had been good to the Denkouyama clan. They had offered what was left of them left after Hiro's grandfather, then the newly minted head of the clan, had had a falling out with the Kage of the Hidden Cloud village. Hiro didn't know the details, but it had led to a violent and hasty exit from Lightning Country. They had wandered for a time before Konoha had offered a place to the greatly reduced clan. Only Hiro's father and mother and two of his cousins had escaped. His cousins had retired from the ninja life and used what funds they had to open a shop to help support the clan. Both had found wives in Konoha and his cousin Taro's oldest daughter had just entered the Academy. What the Hokage now asked of him gave him the opportunity to perform a service of true value to the village, and he jumped at the opportunity. "I should leave for the hospital then, Hokage-sama. I was told he heals quickly."

The Hokage nodded approvingly. "Yes. He should be fully healed by tonight at latest."


	3. What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH.3 What have I gotten myself into?

A week later, Hiro was wondering what he'd been thinking. Naruto was basically a good kid, but the fact that he had survived so long on his own was nothing short of astonishing. He had no understanding of proper nutrition, subsisting almost completely on instant ramen, he had only vague notions of hygiene considering the state of his apartment, and he, more often than not, behaved like a squirrel in a cage.

"The kid has more energy than a human of any age has a right to," he told the Hokage during his first report. "He's always running somewhere even when there's nowhere to go, like he's working on a permanent sugar high."

The Hokage nodded. "Any security problems?"

"A civilian threw a rock through the window two days ago. Naruto didn't seem alarmed or even terribly upset. His landlady was another matter. She yelled at him as if he'd broken it himself. I managed to set her straight, or at least she didn't seem willing to press it with me."

He nodded absently, looking slightly annoyed. "That is not unusual, unfortunately. What steps are you taking?"

"I've helped him clean up his place and repair the damage. That in itself was an undertaking. He seemed a little suspicious at first, I get the impression that not many people try to help him or pay him any sort of attention unless it's hostile. He's warmed up to me, though and seems genuinely grateful to have me around. I haven't told him it's a mission, per your suggestion." He had had doubts about lying to the boy in such a way, but he kept his doubts to himself. He understood the Hokage's reasons. The boy needed a friend more than he needed a bodyguard. That was something that a person he knew was paid to keep watch on him couldn't be. Then again, the boy was so pathetically grateful for any type of interaction with other people that didn't involve insults or outright violence, it might not have mattered.

When his report was complete, he left the Hokage's office to find his charge. He found the boy in his apartment scowling at his cupboard. "You need to go shopping." Hiro noted. The cupboards were literally bare.

"I know that," the seven-year-old groused. "I just hate shopping."

"How about I come with you? We could get done faster." At least then, he could make sure the boy bought something besides instant ramen.

Naruto, however, instantly became evasive. "No. That's ok. I can take care of it alone."

"I don't mind. I've no missions today." Naruto was adamant in his refusal, but he still sounded surly about performing what should have been a routine task and if Hiro wasn't mistaken, embarrassed. "Okay," the older boy relented. "Guess I'll get some training in then. I'll see you this afternoon if you'll be done in time. We can go over that transformation jutsu you're having trouble with."

"Okay!" Naruto brightened immediately, but then he frowned and shook his head. "Sorry, Hiro. This usually takes me a while. How about tomorrow morning?" Hiro agreed readily, but told Naruto that if he finished in time, he'd be at training ground 11 until 7:30. When Naruto had left, he resolved to forego his training to find out what the problem was.

OOOOOOOOOO

Naruto ducked under the broom the shopkeeper swung at him and dashed outside again. He rushed down the street and into an alley, faster than the hatchet faced woman who ran the store could follow. She shouted insults after him but didn't venture too far from her shop. When she had gone back inside, Hiro turned to the ventilation pipe that led up from the shop's small kitchen. Channeling chakra to his hand, he crimped the pipe before jumping to the next roof.

That had been the third merchant to refuse him service. At first, Hiro had just thought the boy had done something in the shop previously. He had a reputation as a prankster. The old woman, however, had called the boy 'demon.' While not in and of itself a violation of the Hokage's law, it made it clear to the genin why the shop owners were treating him so badly.

Something needed to be done, but he couldn't escort Naruto everywhere without making it clear, even to the normally oblivious boy, that it was a mission. He needed a solution to Naruto's problem that circumvented the Kyuubi issue.

He settled in to watch, painful as it was, as the boy was ejected from two more shops before he found one that was willing to deal with him. Curious, Hiro dropped into an alley near the shop and used a transformation to disguise himself. He entered the shop as a foreign tradesman. The village had several construction projects ongoing at the moment and outside workmen were not uncommon.

Hiro entered with purpose and began selecting certain items he suspected Naruto would need. He kept a discreet eye on the boy and listened closely.

"Those'll be 500 ryo," the merchant told him dropping some wilting vegetables on the counter. They looked like he had fished them out of the bin and were several times the going rate for the amount he was offering anyway.

Naruto didn't complain, though. He asked for milk as well and was given a carton that Hiro suspected by the smell was already sour. He decided to intervene, playing the helpful stranger who didn't know the village monster when he saw it.

"Your pardon, sir, but I believe that milk has spoiled." The merchant glared at him for the interruption. "I can smell it from here. Anyone drinking that would surely get sick."

Naruto glanced at him in surprise. Then he sniffed at the carton himself and looked confused. After a moment, his face cleared and he glared at the man behind the counter. The merchant glared back, daring the boy to say anything. Naruto turned and stormed out of the store.

"Good riddance," the shopkeeper shouted after him before turning to Hiro with an annoyed expression. "Why would you want to help that brat?"

"I don't understand," Hiro answered, trying his best to look confused. It wasn't a stretch, but he had a pretty good idea of what had been going on.

"You're not from Konoha, are you?"

"No. I am from Tanzuka. I came here for the work."

"Let me give you a piece of advice. That boy is nothing but trouble, a bloodthirsty little monster."

"Surely not," Hiro put on an incredulous expression. "He's just a child."

"He isn't what he seems. Don't trust him and don't get in the way of us who are punishing him." There was a less than subtle threat to his tone and Hiro felt his temper rise. Controlling it with an effort, he turned and left the shop, not having to fake the offended expression he wore. He wondered, as he wandered down the street in Naruto's wake, how much the Hokage knew about the boy's treatment.

He followed his charge until it was nearly time for them to meet. In that time, he saw the boy ejected from two more stores before resorting to picking up packaged ramen at an outrageous sum and fishing some vegetables out of a restaurant garbage bin that were fresher than those the merchant had tried to sell him.


	4. A Useful Technique

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH. 4 A useful technique

Finally, it was time for the two to meet. Naruto rushed back to his apartment and stowed the food he had acquired and hurried to the training ground. Hiro rushed ahead to make it seem as if he'd been there for a time.

"How'd the shopping go?" He asked the question casually, barely glancing at the boy as he threw kunai at a target post. Naruto didn't answer immediately, so he ceased his training exercise and gave the boy his full attention. "Is something wrong?"

"No," he lied. "I got everything I needed." He sounded rather glum about it and Hiro decided it was time to put the plan he'd devised while waiting into action.

"Okay then. Why don't we get to work? I've been meaning to practice my Henge. It's not as good as I'd like. Have they covered that in your classes?"

"Yeah, but I'm not real good at it."

"Maybe we can help each other, then. I think helping you improve will help me. Let's see your transformation." Naruto concentrated, made the requisite hand signs and one enormous cloud of smoke later, Hiro was staring at something that he couldn't quite describe. It wasn't human, of that much he was sure. "What…who are you trying to look like?"

That question started a long, almost painful, session. Naruto recounted his lessons and Hiro corrected his misunderstandings. He quickly realized that Naruto's biggest problem was the lack of chakra control. The boy doled out buckets of it when the techniques he was attempting needed a few drops. The basic clone technique seemed entirely beyond him for this reason.

It took almost a week of such sessions with lots of additional time spent on chakra control exercises before he was able to pull off an acceptable transformation. It was frustrating for the boy at times until Hiro pointed out the possible uses.

"It's a critical technique for a ninja, Naruto. It allows us to get into places we're not wanted." Naruto looked up, suddenly interested. "My first C-rank mission was to track a group of bandits and locate their hideout. They'd been raiding caravans near the border with Wind country. The thing was; we didn't have to go near their hideout. Sensei noticed, when we were trying to determine which one might get hit next, that certain prime caravans were left alone. Each one of those had one thing in common. They were carrying goods for a particular merchant.

"We captured one of the bandits on his way in to town and sensei replaced him. The merchant just handed over all the information we needed to have him arrested. He was trading information on the caravans to the bandits in exchange for letting his goods get through. We ended the mission without a fight because of this simple technique."

"Wow! If I could get this right I'd be able to go anywhere and people wouldn't atta- notice me!" The slip was small, and Hiro pretended not to notice it. The younger boy went to such extremes to hide the hurt the villagers' treatment caused him, but he couldn't always manage it. There was the fixed smile, the minor twitches when he saw certain people or certain topics were raised, and there were minor slips of the tongue. He shrugged it aside now and returned to the training with renewed purpose.

After another week, they had both managed to improve significantly. Finally, Hiro felt a field test was in order. Hiro was pleased when Naruto proposed a shopping trip. He needed groceries again.

"Have you picked out an image? One you can maintain?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment then gave a mischievous grin. He made a hand sign and with a greatly reduced puff of smoke, he became a voluptuous naked woman. "How's this?"

Hiro glanced away hurriedly, discreetly wiping the blood from his nose. "Where did you get that image? No. Don't tell me. I'd rather not know." When Naruto had ended the technique, looking a bit disappointed at the lack of reaction, Hiro looked at him again. "If you want to use that in the market place, warn me. I want to get a safe distance away before the kunoichi start to tear you apart for doing that in public."

Naruto gave an audible gulp and tried again, this time settling on a fully clothed young girl about his own age. "How's this?"

"Good, but can you lose the whisker marks? They give you away." The boy did so, and they set out for the market. The trip went surprisingly well. Naruto was amazed at the difference in the way people treated him. Merchants who had chased him away in the past actually smiled at him and helped him with his purchases. No one glared at him or called him names. It was a revelation for the boy. He began to look for other ways to use the technique and, at Hiro's urging, kept practicing and improving it.

Over the next few weeks, Naruto made remarkable progress. Hiro found that once he had corrected some basic errors, things that he determined that at least one of the academy instructors was deliberately perpetuating, the boy's understanding and skill grew at a remarkable rate. Although his chakra control improved, he was never able to produce a single basic clone. He did manage, on a few occasions, to produce five at once, but if he tried to produce any fewer, he would overload the technique and it would collapse.

His Substitution jutsu was coming along too. After almost a month of practice, Naruto had gotten to the point where he could do it without seals about half the time. They discovered that the usual limitations on distance didn't seem to apply to Naruto. Whereas Hiro could change places with an object no more than 20 ft. away, Naruto could replace himself with an object up to 50 ft. away. Hiro suspected the boy's range would increase with time and training.

When the boy got tired of chakra control exercises, which usually didn't take long, he had the attention span of a goldfish; Hiro would teach him something else. He had learned hojojutsu from his father who had spent time on a team that specialized in live capture of enemy ninja. Naruto learned how to tie a dozen different types of knots, how to restrain a person so that the standard escape jutsu were useless, and how to get out of several of those. Training the boy was often frustrating, sometimes entertaining, and occasionally dangerous. He seemed to be a bottomless well of surprises.


	5. Fateful Meeting

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH. 5 Fateful Meetings

A little over a month after the beginning of the training in hojojutsu they were discovered at the training ground by two of the Uchiha clan. Down by the river, where few bothered to go and Hiro thought they would not be disturbed, both boys looked up to see a jonin Hiro recognized as Uchiha Shisui watching them with a smirk on his face. Hiro rose to his feet from the tree he had been leaning against and opened his mouth. Before Hiro could speak, however, another appeared.

"Greetings cousin," a boy only a year older than Hiro himself appeared next to him. He spoke in a monotone and took in the scene in the small clearing without even raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Just taking in the show, Itachi," the older Uchiha grinned.

Naruto muttered a few words that a child his age should not have known. Hiro glanced back at his student where he lay in a hopeless tangle, having botched one of his escape techniques. "Concentrate, Naruto-kun. You can get out of that, even now. Just go step by step. Work the problem." He rose to his feet, giving the unwanted audience a level look. "Your pardon, Uchiha-san, but you're distracting my student. Would you please allow us to continue in peace?"

"Must we?" Shisui chuckled. "This is much more fun than training."

"We should go, cousin," Itachi interrupted in his rather spooky monotone. "Besides, we've all had our embarrassments during training, even you."

"True," Shisui allowed, "but I never managed to tie myself in knots." He did stop grinning though. "Your sensei is right, kid," he told Naruto. "There is still one way out of that." While he wasn't laughing anymore, the tone carried an air of condescension that was, to Naruto's ears, even worse than being laughed at.

With an effort he actually got his feet under him and stood balanced on his bound legs. It was rather an absurd sight. "Why don't you show me," he groused. Then, to the shock of everyone present, a cloud of smoke enveloped both. When it cleared, Naruto was standing next to Itachi, who looked genuinely shocked. Shisui was so surprised he fell on his face, unable to catch himself because of the ropes that had formerly held the blond prankster.

"It seems there were two ways out," Hiro commented, trying for a straight face. It wasn't a good idea to offend the Uchiha.

"So it seems," Shisui responded dryly as he produced a kunai and cut himself free.

"Oh," Hiro commented, having more trouble hiding his amusement. "Make that three ways." He felt a flash of killing intent, but it was low level and little more than a spike. He couldn't tell which Uchiha it came from, but it served to sober him. Hiro turned to Naruto. "Come on, Naruto. I think that's enough for today."

"Hang on," Shisui finished freeing himself and rose to his feet. "That was actually pretty impressive. It's rare to be able to replace active, aware ninja and it isn't easy. You've either worked very hard on that or have enormous chakra reserves."

"It is obviously the later," Itachi answered, regarding Naruto without any expression.

"Let's find out," Shisui smiled in a way that made Hiro nervous.

"I have better ways to spend my time," Itachi replied before vanishing in a swirl of leaves. None of them, not even Shisui who knew him best, could tell he was silently fuming over the lost opportunity. It had not been easy to arrange a private meeting with his cousin with no witnesses around and none informed of their plans. He might not get another opportunity before he had to act.

Shisui looked over Naruto thoughtfully and nodded. "With reserves like that you can do a lot, provided you have the control. Got any other tricks up your sleeve?"

"Don't encourage him," Hiro admonished. "He's the one who dumped paint on that ANBU squad last month." To his surprise, Shisui grinned.

"You did that?" He chuckled. "Those ANBU got a thorough chewing out over getting caught by an Academy student's trap. I heard that none of them could find you."

"They can't catch me!" the boy boasted.

"Let's see what you can do kid," Shisui grinned, getting to the point. "I want you to try something for me." Over the next hour, Naruto was put through his paces, demonstrating the basic academy techniques and his capacities. The Uchiha held the boy's interest by turning it into a game. Finally, he seemed to grow tired of it. "I've got a mission to tend to. Maybe I'll see you around kid." He vanished in a swirl of leaves.


	6. Conspiracy

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH. 6 Conspiracy

Shisui approached the council of elders and bowed when his turn came to make a report. "I was unable to spend much time with Itachi as we were interrupted, but I believe, based on what he said and didn't say that he is on the fence. He is loyal to our clan, but he does not wish any harm to the village. I believe the worst case scenario would be that he would only reluctantly take part in our plans for Konoha."

"You are confident of this?" Uchiha Kana asked for the group.

"As certain as I can be without a full interrogation," Shisui responded, earning a disapproving scowl from several on the council. Shisui's sense of humor was notorious and not generally appreciated by the elders. "I do have another matter to bring before the council, however. It involves the interruption I spoke of."

"Go on," Uchiha Haruko nodded.

"I came upon Uzumaki Naruto and a genin named Denkouyama Hiroshi training by the river." He went on to tell them what happened. "Everyone here knows of his status," Shisui continued carefully, "and it has been confirmed by our own seal masters that everything functions properly. What I saw today, was a child with a great deal of potential. His chakra reserves are already jonin level and will only increase. Denkouyama also indicates that the boy learns very quickly."

"Hmph," the clan head interrupted at that point. "His grades don't support that. He's in my youngest son's class and is at or near the bottom of the group. What exactly are you proposing regarding him?"

"The boy is ignored by most of the village and mistreated by the rest. Despite this, I think he has the potential to be a powerful ninja. I'm suggesting that we cultivate him and work toward that end."

"Why?" Kana asked, mystified.

"Because, right now, he's desperate for any type of attention. If we befriend him and help him grow in strength, he could be a powerful and loyal tool in the future. If the worst should happen, however, and the seal showed signs of failing, we would be in a better position, as trusted friends, to remove that threat to our village."

Several of the elders nodded after considering this for a moment. "There is some merit to the argument," Haruko allowed. "I have my doubts about the boy's use as a tool, but it will cost little to cultivate him if he is as desperate for bonds as you indicate." He glanced at Fugaku

"I have my doubts," one of the younger clan members spoke up. "He has seemed to take a special joy in playing pranks on anyone with authority over him. He has targeted the police on several occasions. Uzumaki is unlikely to-"

"Are you sure you're not just embarrassed over his last prank?" Shisui asked. "You're a jonin, man. You should be embarrassed if an academy student can get away with putting wasabi in your tea undetected." There were murmurs of agreement mixed with grumbles from others that had fallen victims to the boy's mischief, but Fugaku brought the meeting back to order before it could degenerate further.

"I find myself agreeing with Shisui. This idea has potential and would cost us little. I will encourage Sasuke-kun to get to know Uzumaki and Shisui should continue to tutor the boy when his duties allow."

Shisui nodded, but made no comment. The council were skeptical, but had no serious objections. They spent a few minutes discussing the best way to proceed, but concluded that Fugaku's idea was both simple and sound.


	7. Frienemies

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH. 7 Frienemies

"Uzumaki!" Naruto looked up at the call. "Over here." He had been about to settle down under his favorite tree at the academy to eat lunch when he heard the voice. When he saw it was Uchiha Sasuke calling him, he didn't know how to react. The Uchiha boy had been a thorn in his side for his entire time at the academy, always looking down on the people around him, Naruto especially. As usual, he was followed by several little girls who all seemed puzzled by his sudden interest in the class' dead last. Curious but wary, Naruto made his way over to where the young Uchiha was sitting. "Have a seat." His fan club looked shocked.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked bluntly. Hiro had been trying to improve his manners, but the lessons were slow to take.

"I heard a story last night that I find hard to believe. Itachi told us at dinner that Shisui the teleporter was defeated by the class dobe. I don't see how that could be true." Some of his would-be girlfriends giggled.

"I did use a Substitution jutsu to change places with him," Naruto said proudly. "I was tied up at the time, and he wound up tied instead." A pretty pink-haired girl snorted disdainfully.

"That's impossible. He's just making it up, Sasuke-kun. I'm sure no one could do that to an Uchiha."

"Let's find out," Sasuke said with a smirk. He knew the story was true. His brother wasn't one to make up silly lies. Still, he found it hard to accept, and he had his father's instructions to follow. Befriend the class dobe. He didn't know why, but his father had been clear in his orders. "Anyone got a rope?"

Naruto suddenly looked a bit nervous, and the girls noticed, obviously thinking he'd been caught in a lie. The pretty pink-haired girl began to tease him, and he started to get annoyed.

"L-let him t-try b-before you say that," a quiet voice spoke up near the back of the group. The other girls turned to see they'd attracted the attention of the normally quiet Hyuga heiress. "A-after all, y-you'll look silly for teasing him if he c-can do it." This seemed logical and the group started insisting on a demonstration. Naruto wouldn't back down at that point, and a few moments later, brand new instructor Umino Iruka came out of the academy to greet his new class only to find one of his students bound to a tree.

"What's going on here?" he demanded.

The students looked around to see Mizuki-sensei and a stranger in a chunin uniform watching the group.

"The class dobe is gonna show us a Substitution," the blonde girl Mizuke identified as a Yamanka Ino smirked.

"Like that could work," the pink-haired one jeered. Mizuki identified her as Haruno Sakura.

Iruka sighed. "Untie him. Class is about to begin."

"Hang on," Mizuke raised a hand. "I want to see this."

"He's just a student. He can't get out of that with a Substitution."

"Can too," the blonde boy was starting to get annoyed.

"Cannot!" Sakura shouted back, really starting to irritate him. A cloud of smoke enveloped her, much to the surprise of everyone and when it cleared, Naruto stood in her place. The group stared at him for a moment before turning to look at the tree where he had been tied. Sakura hung there in the ropes shocked silent by her sudden change in circumstances. This fact alone earned Naruto Sasuke's gratitude. Sakura was one of the most annoying of his hangers-on.

The two chunin could only stare in shock, not having expected a mere student to do that, especially one so young. Iruka wondered briefly if they had another prodigy on their hands and then took note of the boy's face and the whisker marks on his cheeks. The Kyuubi. Of course. He knew the boy wasn't really the demon and that the seal was the work of one of history's greatest seal masters, but that didn't mean he liked being around the reminder of his parents' deaths.

Shoving those thoughts aside he told the others, "untie her and get inside. We'll start class in five minutes." Mizuki drew a kunai as the students turned to trudge inside. "No need for that, sensei. It's a perfectly good rope." Naruto stepped around the tree and with a few quick twists and pulls, the ropes Sasuke had so carefully tied fell away as easily as slipknots. Sasuke and several others stared at him. "What?" he asked confused. "Those weren't even meant to hold ninja."

"How did you know to do that?" Mizuke asked.

"Hiro-sensei has been teaching me hojo-jutsu. He's really good at it."

"Well and good, we'll learn more about that later," Mizuki spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "Now get inside all of you." Sasuke followed without a word, thinking that perhaps the blond prankster might be worth knowing after all.

He wasn't the only one to think so. Hinata smiled shyly at Naruto. "G-good work," she stammered, blushing when he turned and grinned at her.


	8. Wounds Not Forgotten

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out. I've added a new alteration. Let me know if you can guess what it is.

CH.8 Wounds not forgotten

"Try again, Naruto-kun," Shisui called. The boy had managed to catch a branch as he fell rather than plunge the entire distance to the ground. They'd been working on tree climbing at the Uchiha prodigy's suggestion as Naruto still couldn't make basic clones and the Academy exercises were getting him nowhere.

Hiro added his own encouragement from higher in the tree. They'd been working on it for about a week. Hiro was there every day, but Shisui dropped in when he wasn't on a mission. Life had improved for Naruto since the Uchiha had taken an interest in him. Shisui seemed to genuinely like him and Sasuke was being nice to him. This had had a ripple effect. Others in class took their cue from the Uchiha heir and began to pay attention to him. Not all of them became friends but it was a beginning. He was being acknowledged! He was getting attention that didn't involve insults and violence. That was amazing to him.

He had friends. He had his teachers and the techniques they had shown him, one of which finally allowed him to shop without risk of being attacked and without leaving him with an empty wallet. Life was good, so good that he didn't take the precautions that experience had taught him to take on October 10 of each year. Naruto grew complacent.

His good fortune and his improved mood and circumstances hadn't gone unnoticed. Too many remembered the Kyuubi no Kitsune and too many believed the beast could and should be punished in its new form. Most chose small petty acts of revenge such as refusing him service in their shops or teaching the younger generation to avoid the boy, even though they could never give a solid reason. For some, these steps weren't enough.

Uchiha Tama was a civilian. Her family, within the clan, had been merchants for three generations providing for the clan as a whole in their own way. But it was difficult to be part of a ninja clan without learning a few things. She had learned from her husband, a clanless ninja who had married into the Uchiha clan and from her son who had followed in his father's footsteps. Both had died eight years before, during the demon's attack. The clan had been a comfort and balm to her, but now, it seemed, the beast's influence was starting to corrupt them. The clan head had actually ordered his son to befriend the fox. One of their strongest members was teaching it to be stronger, an even bigger threat. That couldn't be allowed.

Tama watched the boy's apartment for a time, learning his patterns and making note of the ninja who watched him. Before dawn on October 10, she slipped into the apartment building the beast lived in. It wasn't hard slipping in as there were no ninja set to guard the boy yet. They weren't expecting any trouble until dawn at least. The Hokage would have an ANBU watching over him from dawn until midnight, but he was unguarded before then.

She didn't know if the demon brat set traps around his home, but it wouldn't matter for what she had in mind. She turned into the corridor where his apartment was located and set down her package. Then she set another like it at the other end of the corridor. That had required use of the other staircase as she didn't want to pass too close to his door and risk detection. Who knew what the beast's real abilities were?

With her presents in place barely two minutes later, she left the building and the street on which he lived. It wouldn't be long now.

OOOOOOOOOO

Naruto awoke to a wave of heat washing over him. His apartment had suddenly become unbearably hot. He looked around the bedroom and then made his way to the main room. The walls, the furniture and in some places the floor were on fire. He looked to the door to the balcony. He was almost cut off. The fire looked like it had started at his front door, but it had moved quickly. There was only one other exit in the place and the fire was about to eliminate it. He dashed for the balcony, but a sudden flare up sent him stumbling back coughing harshly as he got a lungful of smoke and scorching air. He stumbled to his kitchen, but the water wouldn't come on. That wasn't a huge surprise. Service was often intermittent, but at the moment it was a real inconvenience.

There was another flare up and the floor was burning, trapping him in one small corner of the apartment and filling it with smoke. He got another lungful and started hacking again. His next attempt to breathe felt different somehow. The smoke didn't seem to burn as much and when he exhaled something very strange happened.

OOOOOOOOOO

Shisui had been leading his squad on patrol. It was routine and usually boring work, but as part of Konoha's military police it was required of him. The younger clan members he guided needed basic instructions in patrol routes and potential trouble spots. There was street crime to deal with, even in a ninja village, occasional infiltrators from other countries, and routine emergencies such as the fire that had broken out a couple of blocks from their patrol route.

They changed course easily and arrived on the roof of a neighboring building a few seconds later. Shisui recognized the place instantly. It was Naruto's building. There were very few residents, he knew, and none on the same floor. "Alert the fire brigade," he nodded to one. "Rya, Gin, you two have the best water jutsu, get to work on the fire. I'm going to check for trapped people." He leaped for the building's most obvious point of entry near the fire, Naruto's balcony.

The apartment was engulfed in flames. He scanned the area carefully with his Shaningan before turning to call to Rya. Smoke seemed to be pouring from one area in particular, filling the room in fact.

Shisui understood fire very well, as all Uchiha did. He knew breaking the glass would provide a fresh source of oxygen of the fire, but he didn't see much choice. Naruto was huddled in the small kitchen, surrounded by smoke and fire. Taking what precautions he could, Shisui forced the door and with Rya at his back started to make his way through the apartment. What he saw astounded him. The fire near Naruto was being smothered. Thick black smoke was pouring from his mouth displacing the air near the fire. Shisui hesitated only a second over this development, and then snatched the boy up and made for the balcony. Rya was using a small water dragon to extinguish the fire, but there had already been too much damage, and they could tell by the sounds in the building that it was spreading to other floors.

In the end, the building was a total loss. The lower floors survived, but it was decided that the building had to be demolished. The residents were inclined to blame Naruto, but the investigation by the Konoha military police, which was comprised almost entirely of Uchiha, found that he was the target of an assassination attempt, not the arsonist. This was good enough for many people. Their clan was known to have no love for the demon brat, as they had lost many members to the Kyuubi.

The Hokage was pleased by their unbiased investigation and urged them to find the culprit. The difficulty there was that they had a village full of suspects, or so it seemed at first. The military police took the investigation seriously. The clan head took a special interest in the boy after hearing Shisui's report. He ordered some discreet testing to see if what Shisui suspected was true.


	9. Bloodline

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH. 9 Bloodline

"Okay, Naruto," Shisui smiled as they settled next to the hot spring. "This technique is a bit advanced, but you've come so far with tree climbing I wanted to show it to you." He got up and stepped out onto the steaming water. The boy's eyes widened in wonder and Shisui grinned. Naruto was easily impressed and such an eager student. "Keep working hard and this is a sample of what you'll be able to do soon."

"Are you going to show me how?"

"In time," Shisui promised, "but right now you still need work on tree climbing. It needs to be second nature to you before you learn more advanced techniques. I wanted you to see this, though. And, there's another reason I brought you here."

"Are you going to show me another control exercise? Or a new jutsu? Or-?"

"Wait and I'll tell you," Shisui held up his hand to stem the tide of words. "Sit down." The boy had jumped up and was practically dancing. When he settled on a bench and Shisui joined him, the Uchiha took on a grave expression. "How much do you remember about the night of the fire?"

Naruto looked down. "Not much. There was so much smoke I couldn't see much and the heat…" He trailed off and shuddered. It was a reaction Shisui could understand in a small child and hoped it didn't result in a permanent phobia about fire.

"It was pretty bad," Shisui nodded, "but I don't think you were in as much danger as you think." He nodded at his student's skeptical look. "When I got inside and found you, I saw something incredible. You were putting out the fire by yourself." Naruto stared at him in confusion. "There was smoke, thick black smoke like that all around the room, pouring out of your mouth and smothering the flames. I'm not surprised you didn't notice, the room was full of smoke, but you didn't seem to be having any trouble breathing. Do you remember a point at which breathing became easier for you?" Naruto shook his head.

"It's all kind of a blur after I got cut off from the balcony. I went to the kitchen, but the water was off again. I don't think it would have helped anyway." Shisui nodded. That was more or less what he had expected.

"Here's the thing Naruto. You weren't just pushing out smoke you'd inhaled. There was way too much. I think you were producing the smoke."

"How?" the boy asked, baffled.

"I have an idea about that, and I'd like to test it if you'll let me."

"Okay. How?"

Shisui had considered that question carefully and had an idea or two. He asked the boy to concentrate his chakra and focus it in his lungs. It took a few tries as Naruto wasn't used to doing that, but he thought he finally had it. "Now I want you to think about the smoke. Concentrate on it." Naruto nodded and did so. "Take a deep breath and exhale slowly."

Naruto did as instructed and was shocked to see a few wisps of smoke emerging with his breath. He immediately started coughing, producing small clouds of dark black smoke which only alarmed him more.

"Let it go," Shisui told him calmly. "Let go of the chakra you concentrated." Once the boy had done that, the smoke stopped. "See? You're okay. You're not on fire. You can just produce the smoke whenever you want it." The boy looked at him and the rapidly dispersing smoke in wonder. "I think you've got a kekkei genkai, Naruto."

"A what?"

"It means a special ability that only you and members of your family have. It's passed down from parent to child. I've never heard of this kekkei genkai, though. Either it has been dormant in your family for several generations or it is entirely new."

"I don't know anything about my parents," the boy said, looking down. "Maybe the Hokage would know about it! Jiji knows lots of stuff!"

"He may," Shisui acknowledged, "but I think it might be a good idea if you kept this to yourself, at least for now."

"Why?"

"Sometimes people with kekkei genkai become targets. My own clan has one and we've had to fend off people trying to kidnap children of our clan and kill our older members for their eyes."

Naruto looked sick at the thought. "Your eyes? Why?" Shisui explained the sharingan to him, its abilities and some of its history. "So people from other villages try to steal your eyes? That's sick!"

Shisui nodded gravely. "Yes, it is. That's why we've learned to take precautions. Right now, secrecy is your best chance. If no one knows what you can do, you won't be a target."

Naruto thought about that. He wanted to show off, prove to people that he was special and not a dobe like the children at the Academy thought, but Shisui had a point. At the moment, all he could do was make little clouds of smoke. That wouldn't impress anyone, and it might cause him trouble the way Shisui claimed. His thought process must have shown clearly on his face because his friend smiled again.

"I know it's tempting. You want to prove yourself to everyone. Believe me, I know how that feels. Tell you what. Keep it secret for now, and I'll work with you. By the time you're ready to show the world, you'll really have something to show them!"

"Okay!" His enthusiasm was back full force and Shisui had to settle him down again.

"In fact, we can start now. I brought you here for more than water walking. I think you can produce more than smoke. Look around and tell me what you see?"

Naruto did so and frowned. "Just the hot springs."

"Exactly. Steam. Come over here." He led the way to the edge of the spring. The area was deserted. He'd seen to that so he could have some privacy with the boy. "I'm going to use a small fire jutsu to produce some more steam. I want you to inhale it, like you did the smoke that night."

At his friend's direction, Naruto inhaled the cloud of steam Shisui produced by boiling the water. After a moment, he felt an odd tingling in his chest and realized that it felt familiar. He vaguely remembered the same feeling from the night of the fire. He remembered Shisui's instructions from a few moments before and drew chakra into his lungs and thought about steam. Soon he was exhaling a cloud of steam roughly the size of his head. He wasn't able to produce much at first, but Shisui encouraged him, pleased that his guess had been right. He knew the boy would learn to produce other things as well. He had a few ideas on the subject, but thought he would save those for a surprise.

They worked the rest of the day on his ability, and by the time it was time to go home, both the smoke and steam clouds he was able to produce had grown noticeably. They were still nothing that could be used in a battle, but Shisui pointed out that progress like that, in a single day, was something to be proud of.

Over the next week, Shisui trained him in secret with his kekkei genkai. This was in addition to Naruto's work with Hiro and Shisui occasionally showed up during those sessions so Hiro would not get suspicious. Convincing the boy to keep his secret from Hiro had been difficult, but it had been managed. As Naruto had lost his apartment, he now lived with the Denkouyama clan

Hiro's father had been wary at first, but he had soon warmed to the small blond boy. The clan took some criticism for taking him in, but Denkouyama Keiji was not one to be dictated to by anyone, let alone fearful civilians who didn't know what they were talking about. Hiro's siblings, Matsu and Gen waited on their father's reaction and approval, but the youngsters, a year away from entering the Academy themselves, quickly grew to adore Naruto and welcomed him into their home.

Naruto's grades had been improving, and he found himself in the midrange of the class rather than dead last. His progress surprised many and frustrated a few. Umino Iruka had warmed to the boy, fairly certain after observing him in class that he was not a demon or influenced by one. The apparent friendship between the boy and the son of the Uchiha clan head struck him as odd. The Uchiha were known to be arrogant, and it seemed strange to see him associating with a clanless orphan.


	10. Massacre

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH.10 Massacre

Only two weeks after Naruto's visit to the hot springs, Fugaku Uchiha decided he wanted to meet the boy his clan was investing such effort in. He still had his doubts, even after learning of the boy's bloodline. He asked Sasuke to bring him to dinner.

They hurried back to the Uchiha compound after classes let out. Normally, they would have spent an hour or two training, but Fugaku had set the time. "Who's going to be there?" Naruto asked as they hurried along.

"My parents, Shisui, a couple of other cousins. Itachi can't be there tonight. He's got a mission." Sasuke was a bit disappointed. He'd seen too little of his brother over the past few weeks. He knew father had been worried and testier than usual but was not sure why.

Naruto, of course, knew none of this. To him, Itachi was just the 'creepy monotone guy,' though, in a rare moment of enlightenment, he had decided not to share that nickname with Sasuke, realizing the other boy wouldn't appreciate him making fun of his brother.

Sasuke glanced around curiously as they entered the district. There should have been dozens of Uchiha around, working at their stands or in their workshops. People hanging laundry or painting buildings, any of a thousand normal things, but the district was oddly quiet. Frowning, he made his way toward his house near the center of the compound. They hadn't gone halfway, though, when they found the first body. "Rya? Cousin, Rya!" The man was dead, gutted, Sasuke dimly noted. He looked to Naruto. "Someone is attacking my clan. Go find the ANBU. Get help."

"What are you going to do? You can't fight whoever did this!"

"Don't argue, dobe, just go!"

Naruto went, but not very far. Shortly after the fire, Hiro had taught him a technique that he hoped would help keep his student out of trouble. Shisui agreed it was a good idea and helped Naruto master it. He gathered his chakra, just as he'd been taught, into a tight ball at his core and released it in an omni-directional pulse. He had a lot of chakra so the flare he created was felt by every ninja within a mile. The technique was sometimes used as a distress call, so if there was anyone within his range, help would be coming. He added to that with another technique he'd been working on. Taking a deep breath and concentrating chakra in this lungs he threw his head back and let out the largest cloud of black smoke he could manage. He heard a cry of 'fire!' from outside the walls and turned to rush after Sasuke.

He caught sight of his friend as he was approaching the house of the clan head. Sasuke was running now. He passed several bodies lying in the streets with barely a glance. There were sounds of fighting coming from the house. Naruto entered a few seconds behind Sasuke to find Shisui and Fugaku fighting with Itachi. Outside, the sound of others closing in on the house could be heard. There were already two dead on the floor, an old man and a dark-haired woman that Sasuke ran to immediately disregarding the fight going on in the room.

"Sasuke! Get out of here!" his father yelled on spotting him and seeing that Itachi had noticed him as well. The distraction proved costly as Itachi landed a successful strike that sent his father flying across the room. Sasuke saw and stood on shaking legs to confront his brother, sliding into the Academy's taijutsu stance.

Itachi stared at his little brother. He wasn't supposed to be there, in fact, the entire operation hadn't gone as planned. He had failed to get the Mangekyo Sharingan before the operation, and that had slowed him down. He could feel the change occur as the operation continued and that too had interfered. The scrolls had indicated that one had to kill the person closest to them. When he'd read that, he instantly thought of his cousin and mentor, Shisui. Apparently, though, killing the majority of one's clan could also bring on the Mangekyo Sharingan. His eyes were different, but he'd had no opportunity to train with the new abilities it granted him. He was having to figure it out on the fly.

His little brother wasn't supposed to be there. It had been agreed he would be spared. Still he knew what he had to do. He had planned for his meeting with his brother, but not until after the operation was finished. He knew others remained. Reinforcements, probably ANBU, were gathering now, as he doubted he was the only one to notice the massive chakra flare, and Shisui was proving far more dangerous than anticipated.

Shisui had gone to Fugaku while Itachi was distracted and spent a second checking on him. Now he was moving between Itachi and his little brother, an unreadable look on his face. "I don't know why you're doing this, but it ends now."

"No," Itachi answered in his monotone voice. "I'm not done yet."

It was the first thing he'd said since the massacre had started and Shisui saw a way to buy time. "Why are you doing this?"

"I was curious to see if I could. You are all too weak to make a decent test of my abilities, though. This has barely been a challenge. Time to end it."

"Yeah, it is!" Itachi glanced away from Shisui for barely a second. That, by itself, might have been enough. The gout of scalding steam that hit him in the face turned his former mentor's opening into genuine hope of victory. Itachi leapt back, momentarily blinded, but he was still able to anticipate and counter Shisui's strikes well enough to retreat safely. The retreat ended when he encountered the one who'd been helping him. The other killed Shisui casually when he used his famed mastery of the Body Flicker to appear behind them. After that, Itachi was yanked out of sight, and suddenly, they were elsewhere.

"Tsk tsk Itachi, beaten back by a little boy? I may have been wrong about your potential. Ah well, time will tell. For now, we go. You've done enough damage to end the threat to your precious village."

Itachi considered this for a moment and nodded. The spirit of his orders had been carried out. The Uchiha clan was no longer a threat to Konoha. That would have to do. He turned to follow his new master.

OOOOOOOOO

"This is an unprecedented disaster, Lord Hokage!" The Council was in a panic, the civilian member who'd spoken barely contained his emotions. He still found it hard to believe. More than three-quarters of the village's most powerful clan were gone. The ANBU that responded to the chakra flare and the smoke had taken a headcount and there were only 13 left, and that included the five that were currently out of the village on missions. Of the others, five were young children and two were civilians that had gotten lucky. Lucky, the Hokage noted privately, was a very relative term. The other survivor, for the moment at least, was Fugaku. The clan head had been gravely wounded during the massacre and might still die. Even if he survived, he would never lead his clan again. The medics were still frantically working on him, but they believed that he'd be crippled.

"Do you have any idea why he did this?"

The one Uchiha present, a middle-aged civilian shop keeper named Yasuo who had been called away to visit a supplier that evening, shook his head slowly. "That boy, Naruto, told me that Itachi said something about wanting a challenge, but we weren't strong enough."

He shook his head again slowly, too overcome to offer much in the way of testimony. He had lost his wife and children only a few hours ago. Sarutobi repressed a sigh. Even a trained ninja might respond this way. Naturally, the civilian was in shock.

The handful of survivors, Sarutobi decided, he could live with. They were not a threat as they stood. He had considered giving orders that Fugaku should die as a result of his injuries, but he was reluctant. The clan head had been a loyal ninja in the past. Perhaps this personal tragedy would give him new perspective. He decided to let Fugaku live but keep a close eye on him. He could always develop fatal complications later, should the need arise.

"Hokage?" the shopkeeper started to ask, but Sarutobi shook his head.

"There is no word yet on Fugaku. He is not out of surgery yet."


	11. Picking Up the Pieces

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH. 11 Picking up the pieces

Sasuke hadn't said a word for three days. Only one of the Uchiha from outside the village had returned, and that one was badly wounded, reporting a fierce battle with Itachi and a lucky circumstance that allowed her to retreat. This left two crippled Uchiha ninja, two civilians and five children, of whom, Sasuke was the oldest. What set Sasuke apart was that he didn't cry. This worried the two adults of the clan that weren't in the hospital. He seemed to be not merely brooding but seething. They wanted Itachi found and punished as well, but the boy was on the verge of doing something stupid. They could see it. Makoto, a tailor well regarded in the clan, had tried speaking to Sasuke, but the boy simply ignored him.

He suspected that his father was the only thing that kept Sasuke from running after his brother to avenge the clan. Fugaku was in a coma and the medics still didn't know if he'd recover. Being unable to do anything about that, the last two adults of the clan set about taking care of the business of living. There were five small children to care for and arrangements to make for their businesses. They were the clan's only means of support at this point at least until the clan's wills and finances were sorted out. With a final glance at the silent boy, Makoto went to meet with Yasuo about what needed to be done. They had to focus on the living.

OOOOOOOOOO

Naruto was in a quandary, although he would not have thought of it in those terms. He was angry with Itachi, grieving for his lost friend, worried about Sasuke, and confused about what to do about any of it. He hadn't told anyone else about his Kekkei genkai and worried about doing so. He and Shisui had discussed jutsu that could be created for it and ways to expand his abilities, but it had never gone beyond talk.

He knew he could trust Hiro, but for reasons even he didn't quite understand, he stayed silent. He trained in his Kekkei genkai alone, wondering what else he could add and how.

OOOOOOOOOO

It took time and experimentation, but he used his kekkei genkai to build an impressive arsenal. Some experiments worked better than others as there were rules his body followed that he needed to learn. Hiro and Keiji, the only ones he had eventually trusted with the secret, had helped with that as much as Naruto would allow, offering suggestions, but otherwise letting him do it on his own, and obeying his wishes to keep it a secret.

The Denkouyama clan continued to make him welcome and Naruto became like another son to Keiji, albeit an occasionally aggravating one. The boy's penchant for pranks hadn't faded, and at least once a month there was some incident. A few days after a new shirt had been shredded by the cat belonging to the Fire Damyo's wife, the animal had run away from home again only to turn up painted orange and sitting in a cage outside the mission office. The genin team assigned the task of catching the little beast had been ecstatic.

Not long after the twins started at the Academy, Gen and Matsu made an enemy of a young Akamichi by commenting on his weight. He was rude to them and almost violent. Later that day, shortly before lunch, he found that his lips had been glued together. No one was quite sure how that had been managed. Naruto claimed to know nothing about it.

The pranks against the teachers continued as well. Long after the original prank, Mizuke would make the class snicker at the way he twitched and carefully avoided any apple left on his desk. The wasabi in the teachers' lounge teapot was another that went over well.

Time passed, and Naruto improved remarkably. He wanted to try graduating early, but Keiji talked him out of it. "You could probably pass the exam, but the more time you spend at the Academy learning, the better. They still have things to teach you." So Naruto waited and graduated with his class. His friendship with Sasuke had been strained, but the blond prankster refused to give up. He made sure that his friend didn't brood alone too much. Sasuke likely would have spent most of his time doing just that if not for his remaining family. Makoto and Yasuo needed his help to care for the younger children. The younger children needed him to be strong and supportive and serve as an example.

He learned how to soothe their nightmares and that helped him deal with his own. His father was still alive, but he could no longer serve as clan head, confined as he was to a wheelchair. He took little interest in the problems of his family, seemingly lost in the past. Long hours were spent in silent brooding and he grew snappish if someone disturbed him with current problems. Makoto and Yasuo were left to look after the clan's affairs. Amaya did what she could, but although she was fully mobile, she tired easily and could do little to no heavy work. She became Fugaku's caretaker and could only watch in consternation as the proud man withdrew into himself despite her efforts and the needs of his son and the other children. He had no time at all for those outside the clan.

Sasuke had to become the man of the house, looking after the younger children when the civilians were away tending to clan business and his father and Amaya were too busy doing whatever it was they did. Sasuke had come to see his father with new eyes. The man brooded constantly over what he had lost and ignored what he still had. Sasuke and the others had tried to involve the paraplegic in his training and that of the younger children, but the man, while very supportive of their training disturbed all of them with talk of training them to avenge the clan. His talk of growing stronger so they could punish Itachi frightened the younger children to whom the missing nin was little more than a bogeyman. None of them had even met him. For Sasuke, it was worse. There was too much to do, looking after their home and the younger children, to focus exclusively on what had been lost and getting revenge. While he wanted his elder brother dead, he knew it would likely fall to someone else. His concerns were with life and the living.


	12. Clan Training

CH. 12 Clan Training

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

OOOOOOOOOO

Denkouyama Keiji watched his young ward train and considered. The Academy hadn't been easy for Naruto before he was taken in by the Denkouyama clan and it wasn't much easier after, but it had gotten better. The boy had never had anyone to practice what he learned at the Academy with, let alone someone to refine and expand on those lessons. He'd had no one to push him.

The Denkouyama clan head had made a decision when he was still young that he would not weaken his children by coddling them. That would only make them weak, and for a shinobi weak almost always led to dead. So, as much as it sometimes pained him, he pushed them hard and would not allow them to slack off. He pushed them to perfect the Academy techniques as well as the clan techniques he had to teach. And with the proper motivation, Keiji was pleased to note, Naruto had quickly learned what Keiji had to teach. He also learned that the Denkouyama clan head was a much harsher teacher than Hiro had ever been.

Each day, for two hours in the morning, Naruto, Hiro, and the twins would exercise to increase their endurance and flexibility. The three youngest were too young for strength training so, instead, he focused on keeping their bodies limber while slowly building their endurance. Hiro's training was a bit broader. An hour was spent after that on taijutsu practice in the clan style which Naruto found easier than the Academy style, especially with individualized instruction from someone who cared about the results of the training. When the morning's physical training was done, Naruto and the twins would then have breakfast and leave for the Academy while Hiro headed for the missions office.

When Naruto returned home from the Academy, with the twins in tow, the three would do their homework and have dinner, then set to work at appropriate exercises. Naruto was given kunai and shuriken to throw to improve his accuracy. He'd been getting better since Keiji had corrected his form initially and was approaching the mid-range of his class in terms of accuracy.

The twins would work on their reading, writing, and math. Naruto received such lessons, as well, but only three times a week. Keiji had quickly discovered the boy was behind in virtually every subject and set out to rectify that, but his physical training was somewhat more urgent than that of the twins.

After an hour or target practice, Keiji moved to balance and coordination training for an hour. Naruto was determined if nothing else, and Keiji admired his spirit. The boy never gave up, no matter how many times he fell, and it paid off. He improved quickly in his physical training once given proper motivation and a structured routine.

The training in Hojojutsu was left largely to Hiro, as he considered it part of his eldest son's training. Teaching someone else the art would help him cement the skills in his own mind and truly master them. He was coming along well. Naruto was another matter. While he was making progress, he was easily distracted. Keiji quickly came to realize why Hiro had approached the boy's training as he had. The Leaf's jinchuuriki had the attention span of a goldfish.

To be fair, Keiji admitted, Naruto did have other considerations. He had made the oldest Uchiha boy, Sasuke, one of his projects, and seemed determined not to let him sink into depression the way his father had.

Keiji knew Uchiha Fugaku in passing, and it pained him to hear what had become of the proud shinobi. He could understand how demoralizing a career ending injury could be, but allowing oneself to become mired in regret while brooding over what had been lost was not healthy.

He understood and approved of Naruto's efforts to keep young Sasuke from following his father's example, and did what he could to support those efforts, as long as it didn't interfere with his training too much.

Naruto was learning a lot more and understanding a lot more. In some things, though, Keiji was unable to advise him. Hiro had noticed how the Hyuga heiress followed his adopted little brother around, and found it rather amusing. Keiji had considered the situation and advised his son not to tell Naruto. Hiro wasn't sure why, but abided by Keiji's wishes. The clan head had looked into the matter himself and found it harmless. It was kind of fun and creepy at the same time, watching the prepubescent girl hiding around corners as she watched Naruto. Keiji decided to consider it part of Naruto's training and added additional training to increase the boy's situational awareness. Naruto clearly needed all the practice he could get in that area.

As weeks passed, Keiji became aware that there was time in Naruto's schedule he couldn't account for. He took it upon himself to follow the boy when he snuck off to be alone. Naruto led him a merry chase, moving through crowds, down false trails and doubling back and cutting through buildings, but they finally arrived at a near abandoned training ground at the edge of the village. There was nothing specifically wrong with it, but it was so far away, that most people didn't bother going there. Keiji watched as the boy warmed up and then knelt one the ground and began a series of breathing exercises. After a few moments of what appeared to be meditation, he suddenly came to his feet and exhaled a cloud of thick black smoke while spinning in place. When the smoke was cleared by the light breeze, Naruto was gone. Keiji had never been terribly good at sensing chakra, but he stretched his senses and found the boy in a clump of bushes about 20 feet from where he had been. As he watched, the boy emerged from hiding, and Keiji realized he hadn't been detected. This was training. The question was training in what?

He was certain he'd never taught the boy a jutsu like that. Settling in to watch, he observed the boy for the next hour, and saw several unfamiliar techniques. Most seemed to involve tactics to confuse an enemy. He seemed to be able to produce large quantities of smoke or steam, and use those as cover for an attack or retreat.

Toward the end of the hour, the boy stood before one of the training posts used for target practice and seemed to brace himself. He took a deep breath and began running in circles around the post while apparently blowing in the post's general direction. After three circuits, he jumped back, made a hand sign for a minor fire jutsu most shinobi used for starting camp fires and jumped back.

The air around the post caught fire, creating an impressive detonation that knocked Naruto off his feet. Keiji held his place with an effort. He knew that the boy would heal quickly, thanks to the Fox's presence, but that didn't mean he enjoyed seeing Naruto hurt. After a moment, Naruto sat up, and scowled at the burning post.

"Still can't get that right." He sighed and stared glumly at the ground as he got up. "Wish Shisui was here."

Keiji wondered over that statement as he watched the boy clean himself off and start for home, evidently having had enough for one day. He knew Naruto was likely referring to Uchiha Shisui, but he didn't know how the two would have ever come into contact. Clearly, this bore further investigation.

Over the next few months, Keiji would occasionally take time to watch the boy in his secret training, always taking care that he was never noticed. He was pleased to note that remaining undetected became more difficult and that the boy's evasion and escape techniques became more effective. He also came to realize that the boy was not using standard jutsu. Naruto had a kekei genkai. Keiji didn't know why the boy was keeping it a secret, but he decided not to pry. Naruto was acting responsibly, training with his bloodline, and taking precautions to keep it secret, which, given his status in the village was probably for the best. The additional training could only benefit him in other areas as well.

He continued to watch, though, when he had the time, and he was pleased by Naruto's progress in all areas. His skill with his bloodline, with the clan techniques, and with the basics the Academy taught him had increased by an order of magnitude. Yes, Keiji decided one night as he saw Naruto and the twins off to bed a few months before his young ward was due to graduate, he had made the right decisions in dealing with Naruto. Someday, he was certain; the boy would be a credit to Konoha.


	13. Graduation

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH. 13 Graduation

Graduation day arrived for the class and Naruto was practically bouncing. He had gotten better at containing himself, but he was still easily excited, and although he had become more observant, he still missed certain things, like the shy Hyuga heiress who watched him constantly and blushed whenever he looked at her.

She had managed to smile at him on occasion and even have brief conversations with him, but she remained painfully shy and he worried that he had done something to scare her.

When it came time for him to demonstrate his transformation, she gave him an encouraging smile as he took his place at the front of the room. He stood before Iruka and Mizuke and performed his sexy jutsu, much to the consternation of both men. Before either could object, though, he changed to become an exact copy of the Hokage and again to become a picture perfect copy of Sasuke. Both instructors swallowed their objections and moved on to substitution. It was flawless as both instructors knew it would be.

He had used that technique several times, after performing pranks, in order to escape his pursuers. On one occasion, the ANBU who had been watching an angry shopkeeper chase him without intervening had found himself pelted with rotten vegetable courtesy of the angry grocer while Naruto escaped across the rooftops, laughing heartily.

"Only one left, Naruto," Iruka smiled encouragingly. "Let's see your clone." He was worried despite his tone, as Naruto had never been able to make a successful basic clone. The boy just grinned and produced three perfect clones. He dispersed them as soon as they told him he passed, not wishing anyone to know he was using shadow clones instead of basic ones. The Shadow Clone technique was much easier for him as it required more chakra. Keiji had taught it to him as a kind of chakra control exercise, but Naruto had quickly found other uses for it.

The taijutsu portion of the exam was fairly easy for him, as Keiji had trained him alongside his own children in the family style. He had taken to it naturally and found it much easier to master than the Academy style.

On the written portion, his grades were midrange, only slightly lower than Sasuke's. The teachers had tried to encourage the Uchiha heir, sure that he could do better, rookie of the year if he tried, but they understood that his family situation took a fair amount of time away from training and study.

Naruto finished his tests feeling positive about his chances. He then headed off alone to practice with his kekkei genkai. Hiro, who was helping out at the Academy that day proctoring the exams, noticed him leaving and guessed his intentions. He agreed with some of Shisui's reasons for keeping it a secret.

Naruto had eventually confided in Hiro and Keiji when he hit a wall in his training. Both had agreed to keep it secret, and he hadn't even told the Hokage, not that he saw the village leader much. Hiro had withdrawn from the long-term C-rank mission shortly after the fire destroyed Naruto's apartment. It hadn't felt right accepting pay for looking after the boy anymore when he started living with the clan. The Hokage had understood and approved of Hiro's decision.

Hiro himself had been made chunin a year after withdrawing from the mission. He had been promoted for actions in the field when the Jonin sensei of the team he was assisting with a c-rank mission was killed. The c-rank went unexpectedly s-rank thanks to the involvement of two Kumo ANBU. He was never entirely clear on why they'd gotten involved, and the Hokage freely admitted he wasn't sure himself as their relations with Kumo were less than friendly. The ANBU had withdrawn, however, when Hiro's temporary team had completed its mission objective, thanks to the distraction the older boy had provided.

The Hokage praised his quick thinking and his ability to take charge of the situation. He promoted the boy on the spot, the first battlefield promotion since the end of the last war. Hiro's happiness had lasted until his father announced he was near doubling the amount of training he would be doing. That training had paid off, though, and there was talk of Hiro taking the exam for jonin within the year.

They discussed that night, after Naruto returned from his private training, what he would tell his new teammates. "These are people you'll be trusting with your life," Keiji told him. "The early D-rank missions won't be a problem, but you'll want to tell them pretty soon. It's a strategic advantage that they won't be eager to give up, so they'll keep your secret."

"I suppose…it's just that keeping it secret was the last thing Shisui asked me to do. I know you're right about trusting my team, but…"

"I know," Hiro said. "You miss him, and it's kind of hard to talk about to anyone. You thought hard about it before telling us, didn't you?" Naruto nodded. "I think if you're going to trust anyone, it should be the members of your genin team. I think Shisui would agree."

Naruto nodded. "Okay. I'll tell them as soon as we're confirmed as a team."

OOOOOOOOOO

Making the decision and seeing it through proved to be two different things. The teams were announced the next morning. Naruto didn't pay much attention to the roster till he heard his name.

"Team Seven will be Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Kimura Keiko." Both Sasuke and Naruto looked around for the quiet Kimura girl. She had been near the top of the female students, but was edged out by Haruno Sakura who looked surprised and disappointed that Sasuke had not been the rookie of the year as anticipated. Instead, she had landed on Team Four with another of Sasuke's fan-girls and Sasaki Jiro who had surprised everyone with his drive to get the Rookie of the Year position.

The two barely paid attention to the other assignments, Sasuke noted dimly that Ino, one of this other fan-girls, was posted with an Akimichi and the lazy Nara boy. Kiba, the brash Inuzaka, was teamed with the shy Hyuga girl and the Aburame.

"We'll break for lunch now," Iruka told the class. "Come back here by 1:00 to meet your jonin sensei."

Naruto nodded to Sasuke and together they approached Keiko. Neither knew anything about the girl. "Hey," Naruto greeted. "I figured since we're on the same team we might as well get to know each other."

Keiko nodded and got up, grabbing her lunch. "Okay. Let's eat outside." They moved to a table outside that was usually acknowledged as Sasuke's by the other students. They had it mostly to themselves. Sakura and Ino tried to approach, but Sasuke suggested that the two use the time to get to know their teams as he was doing. The two surprised him by taking the hint and backing off.

Keiko smiled shyly at them. "I know about you Sasuke. Couldn't help but hear the other girls chattering about you." Sasuke grimaced. "Four little brothers and sisters and two civilians as guardians?"

"That's right, though they're cousins, not brothers and sisters. What about you?"

"Two older brothers. They help out at the smithy my family runs."

"Your family makes weapons?" Naruto asked, intrigued.

"No," Keiko shook her head. "We make mostly household items and farming implements. The market for weapons makers is locked up pretty tight."

"I'd heard that," Sasuke nodded. "There are three in Konoha, and starting in that market isn't easy." He considered a moment. "What's your specialty? I have my family taijutsu and techniques. Naruto knows hojo-jutsu and tends to be good at picking up new ninjutsu."

"I'm good at taijutsu and I know a genjutsu or two that is meant to confuse an enemy. Uncle Yoshi is a chunin and has taught me a few things beyond what the Academy shows us."

"So, a well-rounded team then," Sasuke nodded. 'That's good. Father always said that was important to a genin team's survival."

They talked for the rest of the hour trading facts about themselves. The discussion continued for two hours in the classroom while they waited for their jonin sensei. Finally, Naruto had had enough.

"How dare this guy be late!? Is this what we've got to look forward to?" He snatched a dust covered eraser from the front of the room and propped it over the door. "That'll teach him."

"He's a jonin, Naruto," Keiko pointed out. "You think he's going to fall for that?"

"Guess we'll find out," Sasuke shrugged, having seen too many of his friend's improbable pranks actually work. The fish sauce in Mizuki's chair still astonished him. The man had no situational awareness.

A few minutes later, the door was finally pushed open and a silver haired man wearing a mask the covered everything but his eyes, one of which was hidden by his crooked forehead protector, received a face full of chalk dust. Naruto laughed out loud while the others just stared at the man incredulously.

"Our new sensei just fell for a prank a civilian could have avoided," Keiko shook her head. "Great start."

"First impressions…" the man began looking them over. "I hate you. Meet me on the roof in thirty seconds or don't bother showing up." He vanished.

The three didn't waste time, but dashed out the door and up the stairs, making it to the roof in just under 30 seconds. Their prospective sensei sighed in apparent disappointment.

"We should begin with introductions. Tell everyone here your name, your hobbies, likes and dislikes, goals and dreams." He looked them over. "You first, girl."

"We already know each other," Naruto interrupted. "How about you go first?"

The man shrugged. "Okay. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have a few hobbies. There are some things I like and others I don't. Goals and dreams? Hmm. I don't feel like telling you."

They were annoyed by their new sensei's attitude but they did as he asked.

"I'm Kimura Keiko. I'm from a civilian family and have two older brothers who'll end up running the business. My family is the most important thing to me, and I don't like ninja who look down on civilians."

Keiko thought a moment. "Mostly, I like training and learning new things. I decided I wanted something that I could excel in, something to set me apart from my brothers, and I will excel." She paused. "I guess that's the sum of dreams and goals right now."

"You next, blondie," Kakashi nodded to Naruto.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen, my friends and family. I don't like waiting for instant ramen to cook or people who look down on me without even knowing me. My goal is to be Hokage someday, and I will make it. Believe it!"

"Ookay," Kakashi eyed the energetic blond with a 'humor-the-lunatic' expression and nodded to Sasuke. "Now you."

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke, and… I've got a lot in common with these two." He nodded to his team mates. "My family is the most important thing there is to me…" He paused as if considering that statement, but didn't revise or elaborate. "I want to be the best ninja in the village and see my clan regain its place in Konoha."

Kakashi decided he was satisfied and told them to meet at training ground seven the next morning. "Oh, and skip breakfast. You'll just throw it up."


	14. Bells and Confessions

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH. 14 Bells and confessions

The bell test, Kakashi lamented quietly, had not gone as expected. Sasuke had performed well. His fighting style and fire techniques were well known to the jonin thanks to his late teammate, Obito. The boy was surprisingly skilled for his age, but nothing Kakashi had not allowed for. The other students were where things had fallen apart.

The two boys on the team had grabbed Keiko and retreated as soon as the test began, presumably to strategize. That in itself surprised him. That wasn't the last surprise, however, and the others were far less pleasant.

The girl, Keiko, had proven resistant to genjutsu and had seen right through his attempt to entrap her. This had allowed Sasuke to surprise him. The two worked in combination to keep him off balance. Then the fog had rolled in.

 _Where did Naruto learn the hidden mist technique?_ Kakashi wondered, " _and why was it so hot?_ The technique was an odd variant, to be sure, but Kakashi hadn't survived as a jonin so long without being able to adapt. Despite being surrounded by rolling clouds of steam he managed to avoid all three. Then the Kyuubi brat had sprayed him with mace. It had been necessary to dive into the lake to be rid of the worst of the effects.

He had seen Naruto palm something and had been ready to block a thrown object, maybe a small, easily concealed shuriken. Instead, the boy had closed with him at a slightly alarming speed to engage in brief taijutsu exchange. After just two blows, he had raised his closed fist to his lips and blown the awful stuff in his face. Kakashi had been forced to use a shunshin to escape.

The good news was that the three seemed to be naturally inclined to work together. There were hitches, of course, the teamwork was sloppy, but they made a surprising number of coordinated efforts.

When the time ran out, they had not acquired the bells, but Kakashi was far more battered than he had expected to be. "You failed to get the bells," he said as he stood before them, "but you did display some potential. Teamwork is essential to a ninja squad and you three have done better than any team I've tested so far. Therefore, you pass."

OOOOOOOOOO

Naruto waited anxiously on the first day of training with his new team. He worried about how his sensei and teammates, especially Sasuke, would react to the secret he'd been keeping. Whatever his reasons, he had still kept something important from his best friend.

Keiko arrived a few minutes after he did, and he greeted her warmly. "Ready to start your ninja career?"

Keiko nodded. "What do you suppose we'll be doing first? Guarding merchants? Chasing bandits?"

"Not yet," Naruto shook his head. "Denkouyama-san told me that we'll be given easy missions around the village for a while to build our skills and teamwork."

"I've been told the same," Sasuke offered approaching the bridge where his teammates waited. "How long do you suppose he'll keep us waiting today?"

"Let's just get started training without him," Naruto suggested. "No point just sitting around."

The others agreed and when Kakashi arrived, an hour later, he was pleased to find them hard at work. Sasuke was practicing throwing shuriken and kunai in combination. His accuracy was good, but not perfect. Naruto was doing taijutsu drills with Keiko.

"Glad to see you haven't just been sitting around," he called to them.

"No point wasting our time," Keiko answered, breaking off her bout with Naruto. "We won't ask where you've been."

"Probably best," Kakashi said easily. "Now I got a good feel for your abilities during the bell test, but I need more details now." He looked at each in turn. "I'm going to be testing your taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu knowledge and potential. It is important that each member of a team knows what the other is capable of."

"About that, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto spoke up hesitantly. "There's something I need to tell you all."

"Oh?" Kakashi looked at him curiously

"We each need to know what the other can do and any shortcomings so we can work to improve them." Kakashi nodded, wondering where this was going. He was almost certain Naruto didn't know about the Kyuubi. "Well, there's something about me that you need to know." Alarm bells began to sound for the team's sensei.

"Naruto," Kakashi interrupted, "wanting to be honest with your teammates is all well and good, but some secrets are best kept to as small a group as possible."

"That's why I haven't told anyone." He frowned. "How did you know? Figure it out during the bell test?"

"Err, no. Actually, the Hokage told me," he answered with a half-truth. The question on his mind was how had Naruto learned about the fox? And how could he keep him from telling the others? It was his secret to tell, true. The old man had been clear on that point when he made the law, but Naruto should still be discouraged from making it common knowledge. At the moment, the boy was looking confused for some reason.

"The Hoka-" He rolled his eyes. "Of course the Hokage knows and told you. Don't worry. One reason I didn't tell anyone is that it's a tactical advantage. I wouldn't want it to be common knowledge."

Kakashi nodded, satisfied to some degree. He still wanted to know how the boy had found out. "You said it was one reason?"

Naruto was silent a moment, as if considering carefully. "I found out about it the night someone set my apartment on fire. Shisui got me out just in time. I wouldn't have gotten out, though, if it weren't for that secret."

Kakashi nodded. That explained a lot.

"Shisui was training me, even then, and he helped me with this, too. He was the one who suggested I keep it secret. I-it's actually the last thing he asked me to do." He trailed off looking dejected. Sasuke ground his teeth in frustration at the reminder of all that his brother had taken away.

"I see," Kakashi answered quietly. "Well, tell them if you wish. It is your secret, and you are right about teammates needing to know each other's strengths and weaknesses."

"Enough, already," Keiko interrupted. "What's the secret?"

Kakashi repressed a sigh and nodded his encouragement.

"Might be easier to show you," Naruto allowed and Kakashi, suddenly worried, started to speak up. "Don't worry sensei. I'm not going to mace you again." Keiko snickered at the memory. "I can do some things that no one else can do. At least, Shisui said he'd never heard of anyone who could do this." He took a deep breath and made a single handsign to focus his chakra before exhaling a cloud of steam that quickly spread to obscure everyone's view.

"I can make lots of things besides steam and mace," he told them warming to the subject. "I learned how to produce smoke the same way the night of the fire."

"A kekkei genkai," Sasuke exclaimed, forgetting his earlier dark mood. "You can make these things at will?"

"Pretty much," Naruto shrugged. "Simple things like steam and smoke I can produce enough of to make a good distraction like that steam bank I used, but more complex things, like the mace, I can only produce in small amounts. Not sure why. I can make knockout gas as well, but not enough yet to make a difference in a fight." He looked at Kakashi. "I'm hoping you can help me with that."

"I'm sure I can, Naruto," Kakashi smiled, happy to have dodged the fox issue. He really hadn't seen the kekkei genkai coming and wondered if the Hokage _did_ know about it. "I've got a couple of training exercises that may help."

With that revelation behind them, they began the day's training. Sasuke, much to Naruto's relief, didn't seem upset by the secret. When asked, he merely waved it off. "I get it. Shisui had the right idea, asking you not to talk about it." If he felt slighted at being left out of the secret, he didn't say so and showed no sign of it.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Interesting," the old man said leaning back. "I'm not familiar with such a kekkei genkai. Could it be new? Some side effect of the Kyuubi's presence?"

Kakashi shrugged. "No way of knowing. Possible, I suppose. There isn't a lot of consistent information on the subject."

"True," the Hokage acknowledged. He could not recall a case of a jinchuriki developing an independent kekkei genkai, but the villages which had them guarded any information about them jealously. At any rate, the question was almost academic. "How will you proceed?"

Kakashi thought a moment. "I have some ideas for special training exercises," he allowed. "I suspect the inability to produce large amounts of complex substances is just a matter of experience and training. He sure doesn't have a shortage of chakra, but his control isn't even at the level of most graduating genin. Of course, most genin don't have nearly his levels. Learning proper control is going to be a struggle for him."

"You are most likely correct about that," the Hokage nodded. "Proceed as you think best, Kakashi. The kekkei genkai is an interesting development, but it does not alter certain key facts about the boy and his situation." He considered silently for a moment. "You say he wishes to keep it a secret beyond his teammates?"

"Yes and his reasons are valid. A hidden trick up your sleeve is never a bad idea."

"Knowing about it might soften the attitudes of some people in the village towards him," the old man said thoughtfully. "A kekkei genkai represents power, and the villages and clans do love their power. He does qualify for the clan restoration act."

"I think that's the farthest thing from his mind right now," Kakashi shook his head. "However, the chunin exams are coming up. If my team is ready for them, I think I can convince him to reveal his abilities there. It may make his life easier."

"Good, good." Saratobi nodded his approval of the idea. "Do what you can to get your students ready, Kakashi. The village needs a good showing in the exams regardless of whether Naruto is ready to show off his kekkai genkai."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The silver-haired jonin turned and left the office.

He left the Hokage with a puzzle to consider.


	15. D-Ranks and C-Rank

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH. 15 D-rank and C-rank

D-rank missions came as an unwelcome surprise, even though they'd been expecting it. Fetching groceries and weeding gardens were not, Naruto concluded, work for a ninja. Still, Kakashi said they were necessary and pointed out the training value of each assignment as well as the monetary reward, however minor.

Naruto came to regret at least one of his earlier pranks. The demon cat, Tora, was terrified of him and was that much harder to catch because of it. They managed, though. The training, both standard workouts and D-rank missions, went on in this way for some time. It was during one of these missions that they made an important discovery.

They had been hired to paint an apartment building. Naruto suggested they start at the top. That way it wouldn't matter so much if some ran down the wall. Kakashi decided to let them figure it out for themselves. Naruto's idea sounded reasonable to the others, so they agreed and Keiko asked where they would get the ladders

"Why do you need a ladder?" Naruto asked, picking up a paint can and walking up the wall, using his chakra to adhere to it. Sasuke frowned slightly and Keiko gaped openly.

"How are you doing that?" she asked.

"What? Wall walking is a standard ninja technique. Didn't your uncle teach you?" Keiko shook his head and glanced at Sasuke.

"I was too young to learn it…" he trailed off. "No," he shook his head instead.

"Oh." Naruto considered a moment. "I guess we'll need ladders then. Ask the building manager. I'll get started."

OOOOOOOOOO

Kakashi got no rest until he started training his other two students in the tree climbing exercise. Sasuke picked it up more quickly than Keiko, but they both mastered it within two weeks and moved on to water walking at Naruto's suggestion.

Kakashi also set aside time for kekkei genkai training. The chakra control exercises he taught Naruto were far more complex than the standard and required a level of mastery that he told his student it could take months or even years to obtain. He also set him to practicing his more complex 'breath weapons' and to studying the substances themselves. He wanted Naruto to understand what he was making and how it could best be used. Kakashi had laughed when Naruto groused that he thought he was done with reading assignments. After roughly two months of training and D-rank missions, Kakashi decided it was time for their first C-rank.

OOOOOOOOOO

"It's a straightforward escort mission," the Hokage told them. "You'll be taking the daughter of a River country nobleman home. That area and the route you will be following is fairly secure, so it is C-rank primarily because of the distance involved. There've been no reports of bandits or missing-nin in that region for some time."

"Sounds perfect," Kakashi nodded. He gave instructions for his team to meet himself and the client at the East gate in an hour and dismissed them to pack.

As River country and the Land of Fire shared a border, the journey would be almost wholly within their own territory, and would take only a matter of days. They each packed for a week's journey.

Naruto was the first to arrive, followed shortly by Sasuke and Keiko. To their mild surprise, Kakashi arrived right on time with their client.

"This is Lady Hiroko of River Country. Her older brother is a lord in a southern province of the country. We'll be escorting her to their family estate."

Hiroko greeted them cordially. "I thank you for your service in this matter. The journey shouldn't be difficult."

Kakashi nodded and turned to his team and made the introductions. "We'd better get on our way. At the pace we'll be traveling, it will take about three days."

They nodded and set out without further delay. Lady Hiroko set the pace and surprised them by keeping up a brisk walking pace for nearly three hours before they stopped for lunch.

"Lady Hiroko?" Naruto broke the silence. "Why is someone like you travelling alone? I mean don't nobles usually travel with servants and stuff?"

"Don't be nosy, Naruto," Kakashi chastised mildly. "It isn't our concern."

"I don't mind," Lady Hiroko answered. "Normally, you're right, but this is something of an emergency. My brother is headed straight from Konoha to Rice country to engage in some important negotiations and prefers that I be safe at home before he meets with their Daimyo next week."

"The Daimyo of Rice has been known to collect 'insurance' to ensure negotiations go well," Kakashi mused.

"Insurance?" Sasuke asked.

"Hostages. It isn't something that he does often, but it has happened."

"The visit will come somewhat unexpectedly," Lady Hiroko explained. "There should be no need for concern. My brother will not even announce his intention to visit for two days yet."

"Giving us time to get you safely home, unmolested," Kakashi nodded. "It should work."

After their rest, the group pushed on at the same pace until sunset. Naruto and Sasuke were tasked with putting up the tents while Kakashi and Keiko kept watch and their client waited. "Naruto will take the first watch tonight," Kakashi announced, watching the blond bounce around the campsite. If he had that much energy after the trip, he would be fine to stand watch.

Naruto made no objection and Sasuke asked to take the second watch. The night passed quietly and they were on their way not long after daybreak.

The pace wasn't a difficult one for the ninja to keep; they maintained it easily while keeping a close watch on their surroundings. Kakashi deployed his team in a diamond formation around Lady Hiroko with Sasuke in the lead, Naruto on the right and Keiko on the left. He brought up the rear so he could see everything. Over the course of the day, there were a few false alarms. Wild animals caught the genin by surprise, but Kakashi always waved off their concerns, barely glancing at the sources of the various noises.

"Okay," Naruto asked. "How do you always know that there's no threat?"

"Animals move in particular ways. You get to recognize them with practice, plus rabbits don't have chakra signatures." He thought a moment, "well, actually, they do, but it's not something you can mistake for another ninja."

"How do you-?"

"We'll cover that in time," his sensei assured him. "Get your attention back on our right flank now."

"Yes, sensei," Naruto turned back to his assigned task.


	16. Midnight Attack

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH. 16 Midnight attack

They neared but didn't quite reach the border with River Country before sunset. Setting up camp went just as it had the previous night. Naruto took the first watch, again.

An hour into the first watch, while the rest slept, Naruto made a circuit of the camp every ten minutes or so, spending the rest of the time watching the surrounding forest from his perch in a nearby tree. He moved quietly so as not to give away his presence to any potential enemy and to avoid waking his teammates.

He thought about his sensei's words about chakra signatures. It sounded like you could learn to sense another person's chakra from a distance. It would explain a lot, actually. There had been times after certain pranks that he wondered how the ANBU had found him so quickly. Thinking back, those were the times he had been forced to hide close to the scene of the crime rather than run off and lose himself in the crowd.

How, exactly, did one learn to sense chakra, though? He stopped in his circuit of the camp and concentrated on his own charka. He had done that often enough while focusing his energies for a jutsu. Trying to turn that outward, though, was like trying to hear someone else's heartbeat. Frowning in thought, he realized that wasn't quite right but close enough.

He got moving again, but he kept toying with the idea. Every once in a while he'd pause in his vigil and try a different idea. Finally, he hit on something. Extending his chakra outside his body without a specific purpose was tricky at first, but he discovered he could cover a fairly wide area once he had the trick. He realized that he could detect three faint…somethings from the camp. They were like nothing he'd sensed before. Faint buzzing sensations that he could almost localize. There were definitely three and they had to be coming from his three teammates. He wondered why he couldn't sense Lady Hiroko, but chalked it up to her not being a ninja. He'd ask about that later.

He decided that he really should be concentrating on his duties and resumed his watch. This time, however, he included his new chakra sense in his watch. It was almost time to do another circuit when he felt something strange. He could feel chakra moving toward the camp, but it wasn't concentrated like his teammates. It was a diffuse cloud. Coming down from the tree, he started another circuit. He moved toward the cloud, but couldn't see or hear anything. Suddenly, the cloud shifted and enveloped him. The world started to twist and turn around him in unpleasant ways, and he blacked out.

Naruto came to with the sound of hushed voices nearby and a familiar tingling in his lungs. The latter meant that his kekkei genkai was working. The former meant that he was in deep trouble. He didn't recognize either voice, and their conversation wasn't encouraging. He played dead and listened.

"Told you it would work. They're much easier to deal with unconscious. They'll be out for hours."

"If we were going to let them wake up," the second voice answered. "Get the one on watch. I'll kill the jonin and the other genin and secure the woman."

OOOOOOOOOO

Takahashi Yoshi of the Hidden Sound moved quickly but quietly to the snoozing genin. There was really no need to be quiet. His sleeping mist would ensure that his targets could sleep through a cattle stampede, but Kana would be annoyed with him if he made unnecessary noise. He drew a kunai and prepared to slit the sleeping boy's throat.

He was too surprised to speak when his wrist was seized, then he lost the ability as a kunai slid between his ribs and punctured a lung.

OOOOOOOOOO

Kana cursed silently as his idiotic teammate made a racket in the bushes. It sounded like he was moving the body around for some reason. Shaking his head, he opened the first tent and reached for the sleeping jonin. He heard a noise behind him, it sounded like someone exhaling loudly. Then his vision started to swim. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

OOOOOOOOOO

Kakashi woke with a foul smell in his nose. He coughed violently and sat up. Naruto was crouching at the mouth of the tent, motioning him and Sasuke, who had also awakened, to be quiet.

He quickly surveyed the situation and noted that the two man tent he shared with his student had a third occupant. An unfamiliar man was slumped across his legs, snoring quietly.

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow; waiting for an explanation.

"Two ninja tried to kill us and kidnap Lady Hiroko. The other is dead. I don't know if there are any more out there, though."

Kakashi nodded and got moving, snapping out quick orders to his students before vanishing to check the perimeter himself. It didn't take long to determine that there was no one else nearby.

He returned to the camp and looked at his students who had positioned themselves around the client's tent and were maintaining watch. "Okay, we're clear. Now, Naruto, report."

"Um, I was on watch when this cloud of gas rolled in on us. My kekkei genkai works automatically, so I was only out for a few seconds. I heard those two talking. They said that we would be out for hours if they were going to let us live."

Kakashi nodded, glancing at the body that Sasuke had dragged into the camp at his orders.

"I got that one by playing dead until he got close. I used the gas I copied from him on the other one. It was a good thing I could make enough of it to be useful that quick, which is kinda strange, but I couldn't lace it with chakra the way they did."

"The mist was laced with chakra?"

"Yeah. I could feel it when the cloud rolled in." He thought a moment. "Is that how they got it to move so fast, you think? There was no wind."

"Probably," Kakashi nodded, "but how did you know it was laced with chakra? You said you felt it?"

"Yeah...um, I was kind of thinking about what you said and trying out a few things…"

"While you were on watch?"

Naruto looked down at the ground. "Um, yeah."

Kakashi sighed. "Naruto, you have to maintain vigilance on watch. It isn't the time for training. I hope you can see why."

"Yes, sensei." Naruto stared at the ground.

"I'll begin working with you three on sensing chakra when we get back."

He set that aside for the time-being and tried to rouse their client without success. "Naruto," he asked after calling to her and shaking her hadn't worked. "How did you wake me?"

"Smelling salts… sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Um, actually, it's just this really bad smelling stuff I once inhaled by accident. I think it's some kind of cleaner."

Keiko snickered at the look on Kakashi's face, marveling at how expressive that one eye could be. Kakashi ignored her. "And you reproduced the knock-out gas they used that quickly? How is it you weren't affected?"

"The stuff I copy doesn't affect me. I'm actually immune to a bunch of poisons because of that, even if I can't make much of them myself."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. "We need to get on our way. When we're ready to question him, you'll produce some gas and wake him. Now, please wake our client." Keiko started to giggle. "Something?"

"That's your bloodline. You've got gas."

Naruto looked blankly at her for a moment, and then scowled. "Not now," Kakashi interrupted before Naruto could respond. "We want to be well away from here by dawn, so get moving." He gave orders to his team and they set to work. Five minutes later the clearing looked as it had when they'd first arrived.

Kakashi carried their prisoner, bound in wire with some impressive knots. Naruto carried Lady Hiroko on his back, so they could put some distance between themselves and the site of the attack. When Kakashi called a halt an hour later, he set his students to watch for unwanted company while he spoke to the client.

"Lady Hiroko, do you know why two Chunin ranked ninja would be after you? I don't recognize the marking on the headband."

"I don't know about the symbol, but I can only imagine that my brother's meeting was anticipated. The Daimyo of Rice probably hired them." She looked at the still unconscious ninja with the musical note on his headband. "I know this isn't what you expected. You will be compensated for the extra risk entailed."

"I appreciate that, but it wasn't my primary concern."

"What is your concern?"

"Keeping you safe. Is there anything you know about your brother's business in the Land of Rice that might be relevant to this?"

"I can't think of anything," she said after a moment. "There were some trade issues to be settled and a treaty point that needed to be renegotiated, something about the extradition of criminals." She glanced at the prisoner. "That might be something, but I don't know any details."

"We'll just have to see what he knows," Kakashi turned to the still sleeping ninja. "Naruto? Wake him please."

He watched his blonde student start to kneel and then reconsidered. Instead, he brought his foot down hard on the man's stomach. The ninja's eyes popped open as his body folded around the blow. He fell back gasping and wide awake.

"Well, I suppose that works," Kakashi murmured as his other students shared amused looks. "We have questions," he addressed himself to the prisoner. "Make no mistake, you will answer." He moved his headband to uncover his other eye, revealing an active sharingan, much to the surprise of his students. "Let's begin."

OOOOOOOOOO

"That was unexpected…and messy." Kakashi looked at the dead ninja, bleeding profusely from his mouth. Retching noises coming from behind him made him turn. He expected to find the client hunched over the bushes. Instead he saw Keiko being comforted by their client while she dry-heaved onto the grass.

"He had a seal on his tongue to keep him from talking," Kakashi explained. "I pushed too hard for info, and it killed him."

"So he couldn't tell you anything useful?" Sasuke asked as Kakashi sealed the body in a storage scroll and put it with the other, similarly sealed body, in his pocket. The medics would want to look them over when he got back to Konoha.

"No. Seal wouldn't allow it, but I can tell you that the seal was intentionally cruel. It was intended to 'encourage' the person wearing it to resist so it wouldn't be fully activated."

"That looked very painful," Sasuke commented, trying to keep his voice steady and nonchalant. He failed. Kakashi pretended not to notice. Instead, he got the group moving again. This time, he carried Lady Hiroko.

The group made good progress and reached the estate belonging to Lady Hiroko's father before sunset. They were met my ninja of a clan loyal to the River Country's lord. "We thank you for your service," Iwata Chika, a scarred jonin told them politely. "We will take over the lady's protection from here."

"Of course," Kakashi nodded. "We encountered two chunin level ninja of an unfamiliar village." He gave the woman a brief account of the incident.

"The Hidden Sound Village," she nodded. "It was recently set up in Rice Country. That doesn't surprise me." She thanked them again and offered them hospitality for the night.

"Thank you. We appreciate the consideration." Kakashi's students had, as he'd instructed, stayed silent. Following the konoichi's directions, he led them to the rooms they were assigned. The currently vacant servants' quarters, Spartan though they were, were a welcome change from camping out, and they settled in.

"We're being watched," Sasuke said as he glanced about the room, noting potential hiding places and observation points. He remembered how paranoid his own clan had been about visitors and he knew what to look for.

"Of course," Kakashi responded. "They need to take precautions, just as we would in Konoha. They aren't a threat, though. Not unless we make ourselves a threat to them or the household." He turned to his students, all of whom looked uncomfortable. "Don't worry. We'll be fine till morning. Then we're out of here and on our way home. Mission accomplished."

His students weren't overly happy, but they understood. The temptations of soft beds and food other than camping rations overcame their unease. The night passed without incident.


	17. Return and New Training

CH. 17 Return and new training

Their return to Konoha was uneventful, and Kakashi took the opportunity to begin their training in chakra sensing. Naruto had a head start, but Sasuke and Keiko quickly caught on. Sasuke was better at it than the other two, but Kakashi assured them they would each develop the ability in time, to some extent at least. The lessons went well and the genin were all in fairly high spirits when the gates of Konoha came into view.

Despite a strong desire to head for Ichiraku's for a bowl of ramen, Naruto accompanied the team to the Hokage's office. The old man listened to their report with a slight frown, having heard only vague reports of the Hidden Sound Village before this. The corpses were sent to the medical corps for examination while the team was being debriefed.

"Either they were very confident in the skills of these two chunin or they didn't know they'd be dealing with a full squad led by a jonin," Kakashi concluded. "They were easily enough dealt with by Naruto, but…"

"I got lucky, and we all know it," the blonde finished when his sensei hesitated. "They were way too confident."

"It doesn't diminish your accomplishment," the Sandaime told him with a slight smile. "Luck will always be a factor in ninja conflicts regardless of the skill of those involved." His expression grew more serious. "How are you doing, Naruto? That was your first kill."

The boy looked down, uncomfortable with the topic. "I'm okay. I… haven't had a lot of time to think about it."

"The first kill is always difficult Naruto, and it shouldn't get easier or routine, despite our profession. You defended your comrades and client from people intent on killing them. That is part of the life of a ninja of the Leaf."

"I understand," Naruto nodded, looking ill-at-ease with the subject. "Keiji-san gave me that talk before I left for the mission. He said he'd be there if I wanted to talk after… well…"

"Keiji is a good man," Sarutobi nodded. "I think you should talk to him or to me if you wish."

"Thank you," Naruto said simply, trailing off into an uncharacteristic silence.

"You and your team are dismissed," Sarutobi said to Kakashi. "I will review your written report and summon you if I have additional questions."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"The good news is that the client has increased the pay for the mission. While it did not fall outside the range of a C-rank, Lady Hiroko felt it necessary to pay for a B-rank, which means each of you get a nice bonus."

OOOOOOOOOO

They spent the next two weeks following a familiar pattern, training in the morning and D-rank missions in the afternoon. The mission to River Country had given Kakashi an idea of what his students needed to focus on to improve, and he altered their training regimen accordingly.

Naruto, at Keiji's suggestion, began to make more use of his shadow clones in his training. Each morning, before leaving home, Naruto made 10 clones. Five of them would be set to chakra sensing exercises, while the rest would be given scrolls on chakra control to read. The real Naruto would go off to train with his team, where he would create 10 more to practice whatever skill Kakashi-sensei had to teach.

Hiro helped with the training when he was not on a mission. His clan tended toward lightning chakra while Naruto had wind natured chakra, but certain things were universal. There were plenty of techniques not tied to elemental nature that could be adapted.

There wasn't much help he could offer with Naruto's kekkei genkei, though. The boy had been excited about acquiring a new breath weapon, until the chakra control exercises he practiced to get better results with them failed to get better results. After several weeks of effort, he could still only produce the same brief gout of sleeping gas that he had made that fs first night. It was an effective short range weapon, useful for a surprise attack but not nearly as versatile as he'd hoped it would be.

While Kakashi was glad that Naruto was receiving outside training, it led to a few unpleasant surprises that he was forced to adapt to.

OOOOOOOOOO

Kakashi watched Naruto examine his target. "Naruto, speed and accuracy are important in throwing shuriken."

"So is power," Naruto responded before throwing. The projectile punched through the target, the post supporting the target, and lodged in a boulder. "Ha! It worked!"

Kakashi eyed the post and boulder with a raised eyebrow. "You channeled wind chakra through the weapon? Your private tutoring with Keiji-san is progressing faster than I thought."

"Hiro nii-san showed me how he channels lightning-natured chakra into his weapons. I thought I could do the same with wind."

"You still need to work on speed and accuracy," Kakashi reminded him. "You won't always have time for that."

"Yes, sensei."

"Don't be discouraged," Kakashi told him. "You'll get to the point, with practice that you can do that very quickly. It will make for a very effective technique."

OOOOOOOOOO

Keiko's talents in genjutsu grew as well. Kakashi had taught them all how to recognize and break genjutsu, primarily because of what she was learning, but Keiko picked it up fastest and used the training to look for ways to make her own genjutsu stronger and harder to break.

OOOOOOOOOO

Sasuke was the least problematic when it came to outside training. Kakashi knew what to expect, having trained with Obito for so long. His Uchiha partner hadn't been a prodigy, the way Sasuke was shaping up to be, but the Jonin still knew what to expect. That didn't mean there weren't surprises.

The speed with which he could generate and project his great fireball increased significantly, and he had evidently been practicing privately with Naruto on his use of ninja wire. The blond prankster had obviously given him ideas for new and highly annoying uses for the wire. Several of the traps, Kakashi suspected, would become standard for the village' shinobi. As their sensei, he was quite proud, but getting caught in a trap that involved wire, kunai, and wasabi sauce had not been fun. They weren't going to let him live that down for a while.

OOOOOOOOOO

Kakashi told them that he was reluctant to teach them specific new techniques until they had mastered their basic skills, so they had to rely on outside training more than they liked. That training, more often than not, was what spurred their often lazy sensei to teach them. Keiko suspected that it was necessity alone that led him to teach them more than academy-style taijutsu and teamwork.

He did work them hard, she allowed, but it was a matter of what he chose to focus on. They had turned into a solid team, Keiko had to admit, and the basics he drilled them in created a solid foundation for the skills their families taught them, but she shuddered to think what it would have been like if none of them had had outside assistance. Yoshi had little time for training her, but between missions he did what he could to ensure his niece's survival.

Kakashi was sometimes annoyed with his students' pushing him to teach them more, but he hit upon the idea of demonstrating how far each had to go when they became too persistent. After an embarrassing defeat at the hands of their sensei, they would be content, for a time, to push harder to master the skills they had already learned. That never lasted long, though, and Kakashi had to admit that he had had to stop actually reading his beloved Icha Icha during the last two spars against his whole team.


	18. Wave Beginnings

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

Ch. 18 Wave Beginnings

Their second C-rank mission came three weeks after their first ended. It was an escort mission to the Land of Waves this time. The cranky old man who had hired them was not impressed when he saw his escorts.

"Bunch o' brats," he said dismissively. "This is what you're sending to protect me?"

"They are well trained," the Hokage assured the man. He then turned to Kakashi and his team. "This is Tazuna, a bridge builder from the Land of Waves. He needs an escort home. The route is relatively secure. You may encounter a bandit or two, but nothing more serious."

Tazuna frowned at the genin, but he said nothing more. Kakashi ordered them to assemble near the East gate in one hour. Much to their surprise, he turned up on time. Kakashi briefly glanced over their preparations, nodded in satisfaction, and led the way out of the village.

At the pace Tazuna set, none of them were overly tired by the time trouble showed itself. They were still in the Land of Fire's abundant forests but nearing the coast when Kakashi spotted a puddle off to the side of the trail. A quick glance at his team showed them that none of the genin had noticed, and he made a mental note to work on their powers of observation. Each had gotten better at sensing chakra, but it wasn't something they did automatically. Repressing a sigh, he prepared for the attack he knew would come.

He didn't have to wait long. A spiked chain came out of nowhere and started to wrap around him. He quickly substituted for a nearby log and watched from cover as it was torn apart. The Demon Brothers, he noted automatically. Chunin from Kiri. Then, he looked to his students.

Keiko, he was pleased to note, placed herself between the threat and the client and held her ground. Sasuke and Naruto tried to attack the two from different directions, dividing the attention of the notorious team. Naruto raised a hand to his mouth in a familiar gesture and sent a jet of scalding steam at his target. Sasuke chose to engage his in taijutsu.

Under cover of the steam, Naruto closed rapidly with his opponent and used a jutsu that surprised Kakashi. Seizing a fist-sized rock from the ground as he ran, Naruto focused his chakra and threw at close range. The rock flew as if fired from a cannon. It struck the man in the chest, and likely broke several bones, putting him down for the count.

Sasuke was having more trouble; the Missing nin from Kiri was more experienced in taijutsu and was better armed. The defeat of his brother, however, created the distraction Sasuke needed to fall back and use his family's great fireball technique.

Kakashi had been over this with him. While it was impressive, the technique was also slow and easy to dodge for an experienced ninja. Its greatest value was as a distraction. As the fireball raced toward him, the remaining missing nin leaped aside, right into a spinning kick from Sasuke who had repositioned himself with an impressive burst of speed.

The kick never connected as the enemy ducked under it at the last second and swung his chain at near point-blank range. Kakashi barely pulled his student out of the way in time, before ending the fight himself with a chidori.

After doing a quick check of the area for more enemies, Kakashi looked over his students and the missing nin they had fought. Both were dead.

"I was trying to take him alive," Naruto groused, "so we could question him."

Kakashi nodded. "It was a good thought, and a good effort, but it looks like that blow to his chest was too much. It broke his breast bone and stopped his heart. That technique is going to need work before you can use it affectively to stun an opponent."

"Yes, sensei."

He turned to Sasuke next. "You handled yourself well, Sasuke, but you need more practice in gauging your opponents. He was faster than he looked. Thinking he was dealing with genin alone, he didn't bother using his full strength." Sasuke looked briefly angry, but nodded.

"Yes, sensei."

Kakashi then turned his attention to their client. "Tazuna. We need to talk." He stopped for a second, frowning and then nodded his approval. "Well done, Keiko. You can come out now."

His third student emerged from her hiding spot with their client in tow. She hadn't just stayed in a defensive position while her teammates fought, she had used the distraction to hide him and cast a genjutsu on the brothers to make him harder to find.

He focused on the old man. "Would you care to explain this, Tazuna-san?"

"What do you mean?" the old man asked nervously.

"Those were the Demon Brothers of the Mist. They were missing nin who turned mercenary when they left Kiri's service. They weren't in the habit of attacking random travelers. Someone hired them to ambush us. Who's after you?"

After a moments' vacillation, the old man sighed and began to explain. "I'm a bridge builder and I've been building a bridge from Wave to the mainland. Our country is under the thumb of a greedy businessman named Gato. He controls every bit of trade in and out of Wave and uses that to control every other business on the island. We are dependent on foreign trade for survival. He has a stranglehold on us, and not even the Daimyo can stand against him."

"What do you expect a single genin team to do?" Kakashi asked. "Why didn't you tell this to the Hokage?"

"We are a poor people. We couldn't afford more than a C-rank mission. Even that was a stretch."

"So you lied in the hopes that Gato would back off or that we would do a more dangerous mission for C-rank pay?"

"What choice did we have? If we don't finish the bridge soon, there'll be no hope for us."

Kakashi considered the situation carefully. The Demon Brothers weren't all that big a threat, but someone like Gato could afford much better. They could be walking into serious trouble if they continued the mission. He didn't like leaving a job incomplete, though. He glanced at his students.

"Why don't I leave it up to you three? Do we return to Konoha or complete the mission?"

"We should keep going," Naruto said at once. "I don't like quitting a job before we even start it."

"Agreed," Keiko spoke up. "We should keep going."

"We should keep going," Sasuke agreed. "I want to see this through."

"It's decided then," Kakashi nodded. "We'll continue the mission, but I'm sending a message to Konoha for backup. I doubt that the Demon Brothers were the best Gato could hire." His students nodded, realizing that their sensei was probably right about that.

Soon, Kakashi's fastest summons was dashing towards Konoha with a message scroll explaining the situation and asking for assistance. They got moving again, each of them careful to be more observant of their surroundings. The most they had expected to deal with was a few bandits, not missing-nin assassins.


	19. Zabuza

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH. 19 Zabuza

The rest of the walk to the coast and the subsequent boat ride to Wave was, fortunately, uneventful, and the fisherman who transported them was able to catch them up on local events. It seemed Gato had tightened his grip since Tazuna had left Wave and the number of people willing to risk themselves and their families to work on the bridge had dwindled. He himself was taking a huge risk in going out to transport them as fishing had been restricted. Despite his worries, though, they arrived in Wave without incident.

If anything, however, their good fortune only served to put the genin on edge. Naruto had to keep himself from jumping at shadows, and on one occasion threw a kunai at a rabbit hiding in the underbrush. This didn't help the others' nerves in the slightest. It wasn't until they were barely three hours walk from the old bridge builder's home that things went as expected.

Without warning, Kakashi grabbed Tazuna and jumped away, even as he shouted a warning to his students to get down. They each hit the ground as a massive sword swept through the place they'd been a split second before.

When the genin looked up a second later, before rolling to their feet, they found their sensei faced off against a bare chested man with much of his face hidden by bandages, standing on that same massive sword stuck in a tree.

"Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi noted, seemingly unconcerned, "the demon of the Mist."

"Standing on a sword stuck in a tree," Keiko noted as she positioned herself between the new arrival and Tazuna, drawing a kunai. "I don't know whether that's impressive or just silly."

The man turned his glare to her and killing intent flooded the area. All of the genin gasped at the oppressive feeling and fought to stay on their feet. "No point in impressing the dead, kid," the man growled.

"Oh, so it's just silly?" she managed to gasp out, deliberately insulting their new enemy. Kakashi took full advantage of the distraction she was trying to create in order to attack, not that Zabuza was caught off guard. He easily countered Kakashi's strikes and used a body flicker to put some distance between them to use a bit of ninjutsu. Soon everything was shrouded in mist, and the three genin gathered around their client to better protect him. They could hear the clash of weapons from various points in the mist as Zabuza and Kakashi fought.

Keiko used the time to hide Tazuna under a genjutsu. It was Sasuke who realized first that they were directly under threat. He barely managed to divert Zabuza's blade, realizing that it was a clone of some sort, as he could still hear Kakashi engaging the real Zabuza somewhere in the mist. Naruto responded instantly with a handful of wind-enhanced shuriken that managed to dispel what proved to be a water clone.

He looked as surprised as Sasuke that it had worked, but neither took long to be amazed. Another Zabuza came out of the mist, and this one was not caught by surprise by Naruto's overpowered throwing weapons.

The second clone went straight for the bridge builder despite the genjutsu and was only delayed briefly by Naruto's mass of shadow clones. It bought enough time for Keiko to relocate him and recast the genjutsu. Additional Tazuna's began to appear, courtesy of Naruto's shadow clones, and they ran in all directions.

"Brats!" the clone growled, trying to decide which to go after first. He had to deal with another rush of shadow clones first, though. They were easy to dispatch, but each created a cloud of smoke when dispelled that easily hid Sasuke's next attack.

The speed with which his Grand Fireball could be generated and projected had increased dramatically with some suggestions Naruto had made based on his own training. Kakashi had been surprised that the jutsu, which was normally little better than a distraction technique, had become a legitimate threat. Zabuza's clone still managed to dodge, but it was a rushed effort and a hail of thrown rocks, driven by the equivalent of a hurricane force wind courtesy of Naruto, managed to dispel it.

There was a bright flash of light and a sound so loud it took them a moment to realize that it was thunder, heard at far too close a range. "And that's three," a familiar voice said. The familiar voice was followed by a familiar figure.

"Hiro-niichan!" Naruto grinned.

"Hey, Naruto," Hiro grinned as he approached them, while keeping a wary eye on the fight between Kakashi and Zabuza. "Good work you three, solid teamwork." The mist began to disperse, and they realized one of the clones had been maintaining it while the real Zabuza focused on Kakashi.

The fight between the two had barely paused at Hiro's dramatic arrival. Zabuza took greater notice, though, when he saw the swords Hiro carried. He gave a derisive snort as he refocused on Kakashi. "It seems that fool Raiga has finally gotten himself killed. I'd know his Kiba anywhere."

"It was an epic battle," Hiro assured him, trying to distract the infamous missing nin. "Did the Seven Swordsmen proud."

"That would be a first," Zabuza grunted, turning Kakashi's latest strike. It was fairly clear that he wouldn't be distracted, so Hiro simply attacked. He was not a master swordsman, but he didn't need to be at the moment. A series of strike and fade attacks gave Kakashi the upper hand. After each attack, he fell back as the battle intensified, and waited for his next opening.

This tactic proved effective and soon, Zabuza began to collect wounds. Small ones at first; then more serious ones, until blocking one of Hiro's lightning enhanced strikes allowed Kakashi to puncture his heart with a chidori.

As soon as the battle was over, Kakashi collapsed. He had been using his sharingan from the beginning of the encounter and finally succumbed to chakra exhaustion. Naruto and Sasuke rushed to his side, while keiko held her place and maintained the genjutsu.

"He'll be fine," Hiro assured them after giving the jonin a quick once-over. "He's just worn himself out. It'll take him time to recover, though." Under his direction, a litter was quickly built which Naruto was told to drag.

"Let's move. Quick but quiet," Hiro instructed. "I encountered a shinobi posing as a Mist hunter-nin watching the fight, probably waiting to back up Zabuza if it went against him. I drove him off, but he could return at any time."

The small group got moving, and with Keiko carrying their client, they made good time to the bridge builder's home.


	20. New Training

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like many Naruto fics, I just changed a couple of things from cannon to see where it would go. If you want to find out what I changed, read and find out.

CH. 20 New Training

None of them knew quite what to make of Tazuna's grandson. They had been greeted warmly enough by his daughter, but the boy was less than pleased at their presence.

"You're all going to die."

"Eventually," Sasuke answered easily. "Are you saying you know the specifics?"

"Anyone who stands up to Gatto dies," the boy said flatly. "That's just the way it is. You wanna live? Leave."

"So you're his biggest fan, huh?" Keiko asked. "Gonna cheer for him? You gonna help him when he sends his men to kill your family?"

"NO!" the boy shouted turning red.

"Then why would you try to turn away the people who are trying to protect your grandfather?" Keiko waited for an answer, but didn't get one. "The only way Gato is going to be stopped is if people stand up to him. You be a doormat for him to wipe his feet on if you want, but don't bother us about it."

She turned her back on the boy and they went back to planning. Kakashi had decided that he and one student would guard the bridge builder at all times and the others would guard the daughter and grandson. Hiro had set several traps and alarms around the house. He would also maintain a patrol route around the immediate area with an eye to discouraging any unwanted guests trying to sneak past him or funneling them into those traps.

They weren't overly worried about the hunter-nin. Zabuza's body and possessions had been sealed into a scroll and sent by messenger bird back to Konoha. There was no reason for that one to hang around, but he and Kakashi had agreed that keeping an eye out for any additional ninja Gato might hire would be a good idea.

The only thing they were certain of was that Gato wasn't going to give up on stopping the bridge. With that in mind, Kakashi decided that additional training was in order. They had learned tree walking to the point where it was second nature. Their water walking was almost as good, but they had no experience in fighting while doing so. Given where trouble was likely to occur, Kakashi reasoned, they needed the practice.

He set them to running chakra control exercises on a nearby stream, forcing them to constantly adapt to the fast flowing water while focusing on other things. When the chakra control exercises began to push them toward exhaustion, they would switch to taijutsu practice. Each of the genin got a dunking or five before they got the hang of it. Eventually, though, Kakashi deemed their progress adequate.

They were dragging at the end of the first day, but Naruto, at least wasn't ready to sleep. "Okay Hiro, its story time. Where'd you get the cool swords?" The others forgot their fatigue and began to pay attention. Even Kakashi perked up, despite still feeling some of the effects of chakra exhaustion.

Hiro grinned at his little brother. "I got those from Raiga, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. I found him in a mining village in the mountains, working the villagers to death for the gold the place produced."

"Sounds like something he'd do," Kakashi said, nodding.

"Anyone who spoke against him or tried to escape earned themselves a funeral. Unfortunately for them, he didn't kill them first."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"He buried them alive," Hiro grimaced. "He was damn hard to beat, but I know a few things about manipulating electricity."

OOOOOOOOOO

Hiro frowned down at the village. The man he'd rescued from the river two days earlier had given him good directions and if anything, understated the seriousness of the matter. The people he could see definitely weren't acting normal. It was fortunate, he reasoned; that his informant had escaped so soon after this bunch arrived. What few people he could see looked exhausted, and they were hurrying toward their destinations. Clearly the missing nin behind this was working them to the bone. No telling how long they could endure such treatment.

An hour or two of observation located the man he was seeking. Hiro's Bingo book came out when he spotted the man who was clearly in charge. "Raiga," he muttered aloud, reading the entry. "This is not going to be easy."

They were both lightning types, which gave him an idea, but even getting a chance to implement it was not going to be easy. While he considered his options, he scouted the rest of the village. Raiga had some hired muscle with him, probably a bandit gang. They wouldn't be hard to deal with and should probably be neutralized first so they didn't try to take hostages.

The layout of the village was fairly simple, and there were very few defensive fortifications. There was a wall, one which was definitely not intended to keep out shinobi. It was useful, though, in keeping the villagers in.

He took a day planning the attack, mapping the movements of the mercenaries and watching Raiga's movements. There was a building he seemed to use as an office, at least that was where he went after spending time in the mine where he had no doubt been 'encouraging' the miners to greater efforts.

He waited till nightfall and Raiga retired to, not surprisingly, the finest house in the village. It would be best, he decided, to get the prisoners to safety first, so in the middle of the night, after most of the village was asleep, he began eliminating the guards quietly and sneaking villagers out. The fewer innocent bystanders there were the better as he suspected the conflict with Raiga was going to get messy.

Keeping the villagers quiet while he got them clear was the hardest part. He kept expecting Raiga to appear in front of him. After all, ninjas who were heavy sleepers didn't tend to last long. The heavy cloud cover that night helped his efforts as there was no moon or starlight to give them away. He only hoped the rain that was threatening would hold off.

The last of them had fled minutes before an off-duty mercenary emerged to investigate the lack of guards. Apparently, he should have been able to see two of them from his window.

Hiro didn't notice him until he raised the alarm and woke Raiga. The Kiri missing-nin was not happy when he found out his workers had escaped. Hiro kicked himself for not eliminating the off-duty guards as well, but there was little he could do about it now. He wasn't quite ready to face Raiga, but he had little choice. He just had to hope that his idea worked.

"You released my slaves," Raiga noted calmly. "Where did they go?"

"They decided to seek employment elsewhere. Better pay, fewer hours, no premature funerals."

"Who are you?" Raiga demanded. "I need a name to carve on your tombstone."

"Won't be an issue." Drawing the kodachi he had taken to carrying; he had been training with for over a year, he disappeared, leaving two of the mercenaries who'd been trying to sneak up on him dead.

Raiga was after him before the bodies hit the ground. He was faster than Hiro and knew the ground much better, but Hiro had made a few preparations, hasty though they were. He led the way to the first of his surprises, down an alley toward an open area where he would have more room to work.

Suspecting a trap, Raiga took to the rooftops to try to overtake him, just as Hiro expected. He detonated one of the explosive tags he'd set as the missing-nin passed over it. The blast barely fazed Raiga. Nor did the next one, although he was starting to look annoyed by the time the third went off.

Hiro dodged the first rush easily enough. Falling back and then darting forward to block the next slash and kick at Raiga's knee. The blow barely made contact before the missing-nin pulled away and tried to run Hiro through.

That almost succeeded and Hiro was forced to fall back to avoid the next onslaught. Hiro barely stayed alive during the flurry of attacks Raiga launched, but was finally able to block one of them and get inside his opponent's guard, opening a shallow cut in the more experienced swordsman's chest.

"Hm," he grunted in surprise. "First blood. Not bad, whoever you are." He grinned. "It won't be enough, though." He rushed forward again, this time sheathed in electricity generated solely by the man's chakra.

Hiro had expected this, but was still surprised the man had enough chakra to pull a stunt like that routinely. The man was capable of giving powerful jolts using this technique, but it wasn't enough for what Hiro had in mind. The fact that his kodachi was able to block and handle the charge, surprised Raiga, but Hiro just grinned.

"I've fought lightning types before. I came prepared." That was certainly true, if somewhat misleading. The weapons used by the Denkouyama clan were specifically designed to handle lightning-natured chakra. He was insulated against the worst effects of Raiga's attacks by the wrappings on the hilt of the blade. Those same wrappings could easily be bypassed by changing his grip on the blade when he needed to channel his own lightning style jutsu through the blade. Raiga, however, didn't need to know the specifics. Knowing that Hiro himself was a lightning-type might make him wary.

"Clever," Raiga commented, moving in for a direct attack with his twin blades. "I've seen such precautions before, though. Let's see how much you can take."

The exchange was almost too fast for Hiro to follow and he gave ground, just barely staying alive. The fight was interrupted a moment later by a rumble of thunder. Raiga grinned widely and allowed Hiro to fall back, unmolested.

"Time to end this," he declared raising his blades overhead.

Hiro prepared himself, knowing what was coming. The lightning strike came just as he finished a short sequence of hand seals. He let the electricity flow through his body, along the path he'd prepared for it, and then channeled it down his blade and straight into Raiga's body.

OOOOOOOOOO

"You redirected the lightning?" Kakashi's single visible eye widened. "How?"

"Clan secret," Hiro shrugged. "He wasn't ready for it. While his own chakra might have offered some protection, it wasn't enough to absorb an actual bolt of lightning. He was still alive when I reached him where he'd landed, but I was able to remedy that. He brought quite a bounty."

"Wow, nii-san, that was amazing! Bet the whole clan'll be so proud when they hear!"

Hiro shrugged. "I'll be proud of myself when I figure out how to properly use these damn things."

"You were sent to back us up when you returned?" Kakashi asked.

"I set out immediately," Hiro confirmed. "The only delay was dropping off a kid I found in Raiga's house. He had a high fever needed medical attention the miners couldn't provide."

OOOOOOOOOO

The bridge was coming along with only minor problems. There had been no direct attacks against the bridge, but the workers kept quitting. Gato was threatening them and their families. Naruto filled the gap as best he could with clones, but he didn't know the first thing about building a bridge, so progress was slowed while he learned rough carpentry and similar skills.

The original Naruto kept to his training along with a few shadow clones to speed things up. Sasuke and Keiko were a bit envious of this until Kakashi explained the downside. Naruto might have unbelievable levels of chakra, but if either Keiko or Sasuke attempted to make 10 shadow clones at once, it would likely kill them. Even one would be a stretch at their current levels. The good news was that the training he was putting them through would deepen their reserves. Eventually, they would be able to make shadow clones, though, likely only one or two at a time.

OOOOOOOOOO

Naruto was up early a few days after the fight with Zabuza. He went out to get a jump on his training before breakfast, stretching his legs and working up an appetite. He'd only been at it a few minutes, tree hopping while practicing his aim with kunai and shuriken, when he heard a noise.

Jumping down to ground level, he followed the sound to a girl sitting under a tree, trying not to cry. "Are you alright?" Naruto asked, stopping about three meters from the girl so as not to startle her or make himself vulnerable. Her presence in the woods, so early in the morning, was kind of suspicious.

She looked up at him with a tear-stained face and sniffled. "I'm not hurt," she said. "Just…"

"What happened?" Naruto asked softly.

"I lost someone important to me," the girl admitted. "He was killed."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Naruto said sincerely. He decided not to ask for the details. She was already upset, no point in making her relive it. "What are you doing here?"

"There are plants here that make a soothing tea and have some medicinal value. I needed something to do…" She trailed off. "My name is Haku."

"Uzumaki Naruto, at your service," Naruto responded with a smile. "Do you want to tell me about him?"

She regarded him oddly for a moment; then shook her head. She hesitated a moment. "All that matters is that he was the person most precious to me. I…lack purpose without him."

"What would he want?" Naruto asked. "Would he want you this sad?"

"I don't believe he would care," the girl shrugged, "but that doesn't change the fact he was precious to me. If we can't protect our precious people, what good are we?"

"All we can do is our best," Naruto commiserated. "It isn't always possible, even for the strongest of us, but the stronger we get, and the more we know, the more able we are to protect our precious people."

"Getting stronger won't help those we've lost," Haku sighed.

"It'll help us protect those we have left. Just because you've lost someone, doesn't mean you should stop looking for bonds like that."

"He was my purpose. It doesn't feel right to replace him."

"I know, but despite what you think, I doubt he'd want you to curl up and die just 'cause he's gone. And if he would…well that'd be pretty damn selfish of him."

Haku smiled slightly for some reason Naruto couldn't guess at. "That does sound like him." Rising, she turned and headed down a faint trail toward the village. "Think you for giving me something to think about. Oh, by the way, I'm a boy."

Naruto stared after him. "Huh." He shook off the surprise and got back to training, distracted somewhat by thoughts of his own precious people.

OOOOOOOOOO

Naruto returned to Tazuna's home in time for breakfast. Kakashi glanced up. "Where've you been?"

"Doing some early morning training. I'm getting better at hitting my targets while on the move."

"Good, but let someone know when you're going out. You can cause problems disappearing like that on a mission."

"Yes, sensei. Sorry."

"We've got a full day of training ahead of us," Kakashi continued, dismissing the matter. "You'll be learning a new jutsu that should make a real difference against whatever Gato throws at us next."

"Which jutsu, sensei?" Keiko asked.

"Shadow shuriken," Kakashi replied. He explained the basics of the jutsu and how it could best be employed. Although it was possible, even likely, that Gato would hire more missing nin, the businessman already had an army of mercenaries at his beck and call that he used to enforce his will on the people of Wave. They could well find themselves up against that army. That shadow shuriken jutsu was a force multiplier in every sense of the term. One shuriken or kunai could become 10 or 100 depending on how much chakra was put into it. Such a barrage could drive off a large force and help to conserve resources. If necessary, thrown rocks could be used.

"That'll be a great one for me!" Naruto grinned. "Bunch of shadow clones using that technique. Shadow shuriken storm!"

Kakashi nodded. "That'll work well for you," he allowed. He looked around at his students. "Well, let's get started."

It took about an hour for them to get the basics of the hand seals and the chakra usage. At first, Naruto overloaded the technique, resulting in the conjured projectiles puffing into smoke as soon as they appeared. It created an impressive smoke screen, but not much else.

By the end of the day, he had made progress, but the projectiles were still dispelling on impact without doing much damage as he still needed to regulate how much chakra went into the technique. The others were faring a little better, but still not able to create many duplicates.

Keiko could only make five copies. Each time, two or three of them would pop on impact. Sasuke did a little better, creating 15 shadow kunai, but three or four would pop on impact each time without doing any appreciable damage.

Kakashi called a halt to their practice and reviewed their progress. He went over the finer points of chakra manipulation for the exercise and set them to work on a new chakra control exercise that required fine control.

As it was no more dangerous than the leaf exercise, and required very little chakra, the genin spent the evening practicing it. Naruto created 20 clones and practiced outside, while another 10 took up places around the house to keep watch.

They trained in this fashion for two more days, before Gato made his move.


	21. Battle of the Bridge

ALTERED CIRCUSTANCES

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used save those I made up. No profit is earned. This is just for fun.

CH. 21 Battle of the Bridge

Gato held his temper with an effort. He may have lost a powerful missing-nin, but he had access to more. The three before him may not have been of the same quality as Zabuza and his apprentice, who had apparently chosen to flee like a coward after his master's death, but they were still good enough for one genin squad and their sensei. The latest report indicated that they had been reinforced by one chunin from the Leaf village, but that did not seem to concern the group before him.

Looking over the three standing before him in his office with a critical eye, the businessman nodded decisively. The problem would be solved. Akiyama Haru was the jonin in nominal charge. A missing-nin from Iwa, he was a powerfully built man with a reputation for enjoying violence. He was assisted by two ex-chunin from Kumo; Manato and Gosuke. They were of similar temperament and had cruel streaks Gato approved of. All any of the three cared about was the money they'd be paid. The challenge of taking down the infamous Sharingan Kakashi only added to the appeal of the job.

Motivation like that, Gato could understand and work with. Zabuza and his cause and the boy's doe-eyed devotion to his sensei, had always seemed suspicious to the businessman. He set aside such thoughts for the moment and got focused on the matter at hand.

"The bridge will be completed within the month. I wish to eliminate the bridge builder and his Leaf ninja guards before that happens. Leave the bridge intact if you can."

He had originally planned to prevent the bridge from being built so he could maintain his monopoly on shipping, but he had realized that the bridge would create new opportunities for him. If he controlled it, he could charge whatever tolls he wished, increasing his revenue with little cost and effort on his part. The bridge would also take business away from other members of the shipping guild with whom he often competed.

With most of the work done, he could bring in a bridge builder and crew on his own terms and finish it without any risk of sabotage, something that might happen if Tazuna realized why his workers weren't being hindered as badly anymore. Best to eliminate them before they became a problem.

Akiyama acknowledged the mission and led his two subordinates out of the room. Gato turned to the last man in his office. Sasaki Yo had been a high ranking officer in the Wind Daimyo's army, until he had been discovered selling secrets to Gato so the man could gain the upper hand in business dealings with the Daimyo. Currently, he was charged with organizing the mercenaries Gato had hired into something resembling a disciplined fighting force.

"You know what needs to be done?" the businessman asked.

Sasaki nodded once and left to organize his men. Both jobs his mercenaries were undertaking would save him money and trouble. The three missing-nin were good, no doubt, but they were also expensive. If the opportunity arose, when the Leaf ninja had been dealt with, his men could finish the weakened Akiyama and his men. If Gato were lucky, the two groups would wipe each other out.

OOOOOOOOOO

Naruto stayed at the house that day to protect the bridge builder's daughter and grandson while the others went to the bridge. It had occurred to Kakashi to wonder why the family hadn't been targeted before, but he reasoned that it hadn't been necessary yet. With Zabuza and his apprentice gone and four Konoha shinobi guarding Tazuna, it might be necessary to threaten the woman and boy. Such an action might rile up the locals, and such risky tactics were probably not deemed necessary.

They had maintained a guard on the family regardless, but now it was more likely than ever that they would be used to control Tazuna. Naruto had shadow clones under henge all around the house to warn him should anyone approach.

He kept up his routine patrol, remaining as vigilant as ever, despite his precautions. Naruto didn't want anyone who might be watching to get suspicious. As it turned out, he was overthinking it. When the assault came, it was made by a small group of mercenaries.

They were reasonably skilled fighters, but they did not manage to disperse more than one of his shadow clones before they were overwhelmed. It didn't take too long to get answers out of the men, only requiring a few threats and a demonstration of one of his more destructive jutsu. The anger he felt over their actions translated to killing intent fairly easily, and while it was nothing compared to what Zabuza could produce, it was sufficient to loosen their tongues. Gato wanted the family as hostages, just as Kakashi had expected.

Another group was heading for the bridge to attack the rest of team 7 and Hiro. Naruto wasn't terribly worried, but after taking some precautions, he'd head over there. He went inside to have a brief talk with the bridge builder's daughter, then, he made some more shadow clones.

OOOOOOOOOO

The attack came without warning, and Hiro barely had time to shout before a hail of sharpened stones sped through the space the workers and team 7 had just occupied. Each had dropped face down on the bridge at his warning. The workers had reacted almost as quickly as the ninja, leading him to believe that similar attacks had been made on the worksite before.

Team 7 was on their feet again immediately, taking up defensive positions. Three unfamiliar shinobi stood at the landward end of the bridge. Even as he caught sight of them they were in motion, running flat out toward the workers and Leaf ninja.

"Protect the workers," Kakashi ordered the genin as he and Hiro raced forward to meet the attack. A jonin and two chunin, Hiro noted. He chose to engage the chunin on the end. Akiyama Haru, the jonin, Hiro recognized from a bingo book. The man had gone missing-nin after his brother had been executed by the Tsuchikage for failing in a mission. There had been only limited information about his strengths, weaknesses and techniques, but Kakashi didn't seem concerned.

The two chunin, he didn't recognize, but the marred plates on their headbands indicated hidden mist ninja which probably meant he could expect water style ninjutsu from them. He knew how to deal with that. Hiro chose the man on the left for his opponent. The man looked like a brawler type by the way he moved.

The enemy he chose drew a sword, and Hiro met him with the Kiba drawn. Hiro was competent with a blade, even though he didn't normally use one. His father had insisted on him knowing how to handle a variety of weapons, as the clan head detested specialization.

The initial clash proved they were not evenly matched. The missing-nin he faced was evidently a kenjutsu specialist, but Hiro was able to hold his own, partly because he could parry and strike at the same time, and partly because the lightning chakra he channeled through his blades made each clash painful for the other regardless of whether Hiro drew blood or not.

The enemy chunin began evading his blows rather than blocking them, he became more careful in his approach and more dangerous as Hiro didn't have the skill with a blade to properly exploit his advantage. His enemy was stronger, and Hiro was gradually forced to fall back.

Hiro could perform a holding action at best, pressing the man too hard for him to use any ninjutsu. He had two sealless jutsu himself, but he needed a second to focus.

He got the time he needed when almost 20 shadow clones hit the three enemies from behind. Two grabbed Hiro's opponent in an attempt to hold him still. That didn't end well for the clones, but it bought Hiro the chance to magnetize one of his swords. He used that to trap his opponent's blade long enough to plunge the other into his chest.

Releasing the jutsu and allowing the corpse to fall to the bridge, he turned to check on Kakashi. The other chunin level ninja had gone down under a pile of Narutos, but Kakashi was still fighting for his life against Akiyama who had shrugged off Naruto's clones without taking his attention from Kakashi.

Hiro noted that the enemy was not resorting to ninjutsu; at least, nothing overly destructive. Apparently, Gato wanted the bridge intact.

Another group of clones rushed the missing-nin from behind. Hiro could see each of them taking a deep breath. Kakashi, seeing what Akiyama could not, backed up and gave Naruto space. Each clone was struck and dispelled in rapid succession, each exhaling a single breath of something as it was struck. There were four clones left when the man suddenly wavered on his feet before falling face down and staring to snore.

"What was that?" Hiro asked, staring at the slumbering jonin.

"Something I picked up on my first C-rank," Naruto grinned. "I'll tell you about it later. Right now, we need to get this guy wrapped up and get ready to meet Gato."

"Probably won't be long when he finds out these guys failed," Kakashi noted, gesturing at the two dead ninja as he finished binding the sleeping one.

"Weren't you guarding my daughter and grandson?" Tazuna asked, eyeing Naruto angrily.

"They're safe," Naruto assured him. "Gato won't be looking for them at your house."

"Why not?" Hiro asked curiously.

Naruto just smirked. "Because he thinks he already has them."

OOOOOOOOOO

Gato received confirmation from his men that the woman and boy were safely locked up at his headquarters. With them in his control, the old bridge builder wouldn't think of crossing him. For the rest, the standard threats would suffice.

He'd have the bridge by nightfall whether or not the missing-nin he'd hired won or not. Sasake Yo would see to that. He gathered his personal bodyguard and headed for the bridge. The battle should be joined any time now, and he wanted to be there to finish off the winner.

His men formed up around him as they'd been trained. Sasake had drilled them in the proper way to protect their charge, and they'd learned fast or they hadn't lasted. Those serving on his personal guard were, arguably, the most intelligent and capable of the mercenaries at his disposal. That wasn't saying much, unfortunately.

He paused before leaving to check on his prisoners and make sure they were comfortable. He had visited the improvised cells to look in on them when they first arrived and found what he'd expected. The woman looked scared and kept her young son close to her. The boy just glared sullenly at him. Neither seemed likely to cause any serious trouble. He'd set the men that brought them in to guarding them. His second visit found their condition and mood unchanged. He told them he was off to see Tazuna and assured them they wouldn't be harmed, as long as the old man did exactly what he was told. Neither responded save to glare ineffectually at him.

Satisfied, he gave his guards their orders and set out for the bridge to settle matters with Tazuna one way or another. The old man was so stubborn, Gato recalled, that it might be necessary to hurt the woman of boy before he'd take his new situation seriously. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too stubborn. Gato had no moral objections to hurting his prisoners, but delays would cost him money, and that, he tended to take personally.

Once settled in his carriage for the ride to the bridge, he reviewed his strategies for dealing with Tazuna and whatever was left of his ninja bodyguards. He didn't believe he was overlooking anything, but it never hurt to be thorough. It wasn't a long trip, but by the time he'd arrived the fight was over. He was irritated to see his hired nin defeated and not so much as one dead Leaf ninja.

His bodyguards took up places at the landward end of the incomplete bridge, drawing weapons Gato approached, keeping behind the line they'd established, the rest of his troops at his back. He glared haughtily at the workers and the Leaf ninja. For the moment, he ignored the ninja and spoke to Tazuna.

"It's time you stopped resisting the inevitable, old man. Your daughter and grandson are my guests and will remain so until my conditions are met."

The old man glared at him, but couldn't hide his worry. "You work for me now," Gato continued. "The first thing you're going to do is dismiss these Leaf ninja. You won't need them anymore."

Tazuna glanced at one of the genin. The little fool was, for some reason, grinning broadly. Then he glanced over at Gato.

"Are you talking about the disguised shadow clones you let walk right by your guards and into the mansion where you keep all your stolen loot?"

"Shadow clones?" Gato blinked in confusion before remembering that he had heard of the technique. Solid clones that could think for themselves. And he knew the henge no jutsu well enough, having seen ninja in his employ use it. He'd been had. "Kill them all," he barked to his mercenaries.

Kakashi glanced at his students. "Time to use the jutsu I taught you."

All three genin, Kakashi and Hiro drew kunai while preparing the jutsu and hurled them at the oncoming mercenaries. Once in flight, each kunai multiplied by ten. The advance of the mercenaries was all but halted as they ran into a virtual wall of iron. The entire front rank, and several in the second went down. Some lay groaning and gasping; others would never move again.

Kakashi nodded in satisfaction as their advance stumbled to a halt. "Genin, protect the workers. Hiro. Let's finish this."

"Actually," a voice called from behind the surviving mercenaries. "We'll finish this."

Gato whirled to find a crowd of Wave citizens encircling his men. Inari and his mother were in the lead.

"We appreciate what you've done for us," Inari said, "but you don't live here. Protecting our homes is our responsibility." The crowd roared agreement and began to advance, armed with scavenged weapons, farming tools and make-shift clubs.

There were easily three times as many villagers as there were mercenaries. Though the mercenaries were trained fighters, they were, above all, mercenaries who saw that Gato's time ruling Wave was over.

Quite a few of them broke and ran; deciding to save themselves. The villagers, intent on capturing their boss, let them go. Gato's bodyguards stayed with him, but that small number and the others that stood firm, didn't last long against the determined mob.

Kakashi and the rest stayed back, as requested, but some of the workers took up tools and joined the attack. Naruto clenched his fists as he saw several villagers go down, but Hiro put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from intervening.

"I know how you feel, but Inari is right. This is their home, not ours. This is their battle to win or lose."

Naruto nodded, forcing himself to relax and not rush in to help. "They're not trained fighters. This is why we're here." He let his shoulders slump. "You're right, though. This is their home. I get it."

Hiro patted his little brother's shoulder reassuringly. "They're not doing too bad. I think Gato just got a rolling pin to the head." Naruto snickered at that. The fight was vicious but fairly short. Soon, Gato's thugs were all dead or unconscious. Gato himself was bruised and bloodied, but he was also alive and in custody.

When all of the prisoners were secure, Tazuna assumed leadership of the group, and together, they returned to Gato's home to finish up with his men. With the Leaf ninja tagging along, it didn't take long. Naruto's shadow clones had already done much of the work necessary to secure the mansion. Apparently, the actual guards had not expected their comrades to release the prisoners or for those prisoners to transform into ninja and attack them. Naruto had already located the vault where most of the island nation's stolen wealth was kept.

Unsurprisingly, Gato proved unwilling to open it. Hiro used a jutsu to magnetize the tumblers and move them easily into position. Returning the stolen goods to the people, and restoring the island nation's former peace and order would take a while, but the process was well underway by the time that the bridge was completed and the Leaf ninja were ready to go home.

Gato was still being held, awaiting trial while the former Daimyo's surviving son took his place in Wave and arranged things to his liking. The trial would be a tremendous spectacle for the people so they could see justice being done. That the outcome was a foregone conclusion didn't seem to disturb anyone.

There were still a lot to do, but things were getting better. The new trade arrangement with the land of Fire would help. The lies Tazuna had told had not been forgotten. A percentage of the tolls from the bridge would go to Konoha until the debt was paid in full, and goods produced in Konoha would always cross for a reduced price.

This would encourage trade and speed the revitalization of the economy. At least, that was the hope. Other deals were already being cut with merchants in neighboring countries. It would be a while, but the general feeling among the people was that Wave would recover and thrive again.

Team seven was unaware of most of the business dealings going on and had no real interest in such things. They had divided their group, leaving two to guard the bridge builder while the rest helped the newly formed Wave Militia to clean out the last of the mercenaries who had thought to take advantage of the chaos in the wake of Gato's defeat. A number of his mercenaries, who had run off during the initial confrontation, had stuck around to try to steal what they could. One or two even had dreams of setting themselves up as warlords of some sort. None of them lasted long against determined ninja.

This work was not without difficulty or loss, however. Naruto was extremely annoyed when he lost a coupon to Ichiraku's ramen during one such encounter. He handed the group of would-be bandits over to the militia somewhat the worse for wear.

On the day the bridge was officially opened, Team 7 and Hiro were on hand as honored guests. In the weeks that had passed since their arrival, the Leaf ninja had made many friends among the islanders, helping them capture bandits and organize the volunteers into a proper militia. In their honor, the bridge was christened The Great Friendship Bridge.

As the group headed for home; Naruto thought about the young man he'd met. It occurred to him that he himself had lots of precious people. He glanced at his brother and grinned. There were lots of people for him to protect, and if this mission had taught him anything, it was that people were at their best, were strongest, when protecting what was precious to them. Wave's people had proven that to him, and he promised himself that he would remember the lesson.


	22. Homeward

See chapter1 for disclaimers.

Ch. 22 Homeward

Team 7's journey home should have been a routine matter. Kakashi had planned to work a little training in as they traveled, but nothing to complicated or strenuous. Unfortunately, they hit and unexpected snag three days out of Wave country. Naruto spotted something odd in the road ahead as he was out in front of the others. The training drill Kakashi was running them through came to an end when his blond student stopped.

The others caught up quickly and found him helping a peddler. "You okay?" The man was sitting on the ground clutching his right ankle. His pack had spilled its contents across the road, a number of small boxes, jars and a few leather bags that smelled of various spices.

Kakashi looked over the man carefully as he approached, wary of random encounters of this nature. Such things happened, but they could also be traps set by bandits or missing-nin. He looked to the surrounding woods, but there was no trace of other people. If this was a trap, those who had set it were wary of attacking a jonin sensei and his squad. The man himself seemed little more than a common merchant who'd seen better days. Kakashi, who was used to looking underneath the underneath, suspected otherwise, but didn't think the man posed any direct threat.

Keiko walked a short distance from the road and found a sturdy fallen branch that made for an awkward but affective crutch and offered it to him.

"Thank you." He got clumsily to his feet with Naruto's help while Sasuke gathered the scattered merchandise for him. "My name is Haru, and I, ah, had a little accident." He looked rather embarrassed. "I feel like an idiot. The shoulder strap broke and I actually tripped over my own pack." He nodded to the genin, who stepped away. He took a few steps, careful not to put any weight on his injured leg. "Fortunately, it's only sprained."

"You sure?" Naruto asked as he tied the broken ends of the strap together. It was crude, but it would hold until it could be properly repaired.

"I've had both sprains and breaks before." The man nodded. "I know the difference." He looked around at them. "I'm headed for the village, just up the road. I'd be most grateful if you could assist me in getting there."

Naruto, always friendly and eager to be helpful, agreed before the rest could say anything. Kakashi shrugged when his other students looked to him.

There was something odd about the man, Kakashi thought. He could tell the merchant had made an effort to alter his appearance for some reason, pretending to be older than he was. As they set out for the village, Kakashi came to the conclusion, after a short time, that the limp was faked.

The jonin didn't know the man's story, and he didn't care to. It wasn't their concern. Haru could be on the run from debt collectors. He could be a cheating husband on the way to visit his mistress. The injury might be played up because he was tired of carrying the pack himself.

It really wasn't important. Kakashi didn't know for sure if the strap on the peddler's pack broke at just the wrong time or if it was a set up, but Naruto had stopped to help the man and Sasuke and Keiko had joined him. He saw no harm, and they were soon walking with the merchant, chatting about inconsequential things. The man was on his way to the next village to trade some of the spice he carried for cloth that was hard to get in the village three days to the south.

He made a decent living, he claimed, traveling between villages and buying and selling wares needed elsewhere. The dream, of course, was to one day own his own shop.

Haru kept up a flow of distracting inanities as they walked. Kakashi allowed it, still seeing no harm but keeping an eye on the man. The talk continued as traffic on the road got heavier and they entered the village, walking past a pair of guards who noted the leaf symbol on their headbands and waved the group through.

Not long after entering the village, Haru thanked them for their help and went his own hobbling way to meet with business associates. As it was late in the day, Kakashi decided they could stay at a local inn for the night and chose one near the main gate. It would make a nice change from camping out and catching their dinner. The inn's rooms were Spartan but clean and the food, they agreed, was decent. The group ate together and settled in for the night, as Kakashi wanted to get an early start in the morning.

Shortly after dawn, as they were getting ready to leave, there was a knock on the door to the boys' room. Keiko opened it, having joined them immediately after waking up to get their departure organized. Waiting outside was a burly man wearing the symbol of the village's police force. Kakashi joined her at the door and nodded to her to go back to her preparations. He then spoke quietly to the man for a few minutes. Naruto saw Kakashi nod and close the door before turning to his students.

"There was a theft last night," he began without preamble. "They believe that the perpetrator was a ninja. We have to go to the village hall and present ourselves to the mayor."

"They think we did it?" Keiko asked, sounding incredulous.

"No one is accusing anyone at the moment, but the thief bypassed all of their security measures, took whatever it was he took and left without anyone the wiser. Could easily be a ninja."

"What was stolen?" Sasuke asked.

"Let's go find out." Kakashi motioned them toward the door. "Hopefully, we can get this cleared up quickly and be on our way."

The constable was waiting outside the inn to show them the way and report to the mayor if they decided not to cooperate. By the man's deferential attitude, he guessed that the constable knew he couldn't do anything if the group decided to leave. When they arrived at the scene of the crime, a shrine at the center of the village, the mayor and an elderly priest were waiting for them. They greeted the four leaf ninja politely enough and invited them inside.

Once seated around a low table inside the shrine, the priest, introduced as Yoshi Akiyama explained. The village had a treasure, something that had been entrusted to them at the end of the first great ninja war. What was in the locked and trapped chest was a carefully guarded secret, known only to the head priest. Rumors abounded, and some were very close, but the head priest ever only told his chosen successor. Should it be necessary to counter what was in the chest, someone would need to know.

Now, the chest had been opened, and its contents stolen. This was, the priest assured them, an unprecedented disaster. The mayor seemed dubious, not about the claims concerning the chest's contents but about the Konoha ninja themselves.

"You suspect us." Kakashi addressed the mayor, kana Oshiro. It was not a question.

"It was the first Hokage who entrusted us with safeguarding the chest." Oshiro told him. "It is not outside the realm of possibility that you learned of its existence from records kept by your Kage and decided to take it for yourselves. You are known to have entered the village in the company of a man who visited the shrine in the early evening yesterday. That man is now nowhere to be found."

"That merchant we met on the road? Haru?" Naruto scratched his head. "What's he got to do with it?"

"There was something odd about him," Kakashi mused. "I could tell he had made an effort to alter his appearance, but there could have been any number of reasons to do that." He shrugged. "Frankly, at the time, it didn't seem important."

Oshiro's expression hardened at the news, and his tone became sharper. "Not even when he used your squad as cover to walk by the guards assigned to look for anyone suspicious?"

"He must have played up the limp so we'd help him get to the village with his goods," Sasuke realized. Then he frowned. "I don't like being used."

"None of us do," Kakashi agreed, irked that he had allowed it to happen. He looked to Akiyama. "We'll help get your treasure back, but it would help if we knew what it was."

"Don't you already know?" Oshiro asked.

"We didn't steal your treasure." Keiko glared at the man. "We're offering you the chance to get it back."

"Relax, Keiko." Kakashi advised. "His suspicion is understandable, if misplaced." He turned back to the Oshiro. "I've never heard of this matter before. It is most likely a closely guarded secret and there would be no reason for me to be briefed. What I'd like to know is what led you to expect an attempt on your treasure? You had guards watching for suspicious people. I saw on the way in that you'd recently taken extra security precautions. What led to this?"

"Over the past two months," Oshiro began reluctantly. "We've had an increase in the number of visitors to the shrine. It is not unusual for my villagers to visit, of course; however, we have had more outsiders coming by in the last two months than in the last two years. That made me suspicious."

"The chest was not on open display," the priest broke in, "but its existence was not a secret either. It is generally believed that it contained a holy relic, of religious significance only. It is a belief we have not discouraged."

"So someone figured out the box contained something valuable, studied the security, and then stole it." Keiko summarized. Kakashi smiled slightly behind his mask. The girl had been paying attention despite her evident irritation at being a suspect.

"Indeed so." The priest sighed. "The chest did contain a relic, but there is no religious significance to it. It is a clay jar inscribed with seals. According to the first Hokage, the vessel contains a demon and must never be opened."

"A demon?" Kakashi blinked in surprise. He hadn't seen that coming.

"Like a tailed beast?" Naruto stared at the priest, mixed emotions showing on his face.

"No." The priest shook his head, wondering briefly at the boy's expression before recalling the Nine Tails' attack on Konoha. It was quite likely, he surmised, that the genin had lost family in that attack. "The tailed beasts are too powerful to be sealed inside objects, they require living hosts, jinchuuriki."

"What sort of demon is in the jar?" Kakashi interrupted, not wanting too much said about jinchuuriki in front of Naruto.

The priest nodded. "The creature contained in the jar is much weaker than even the One Tail, a mere nuisance by comparison, but still far too dangerous to be allowed to run free. Based on what the priest at the time was told, what it lacks in size and power, it makes up for in sheer viciousness. It loves to kill and is… very inventive." The priest grimaced over the memory of what he'd been told by his predecessor and decided to leave it at that.

"So the seals are enough to keep it contained?" Kakashi was dubious. He had heard that there were lesser demons, but had never encountered any, nor did he know anyone who had. He wasn't a sealing specialist, but he knew enough to realize that it would take high-level work to contain anything that might be called a demon.

"Yes. Sealing the thing away was the work of an Uzumaki seal master from the Land of Whirlpools." Akiyama shook his head sadly. "Such a shame about that place. So much knowledge and history lost."

Naruto looked back and forth between the priest and his sensei. Uzumaki? The Hokage had told him that no one knew who his parents were, and that he'd been given that family name to honor that lost clan that had such close ties to Konoha. They might not be blood, he thought, but he was still curious to learn more about them.

"It's a long story." Kakashi glanced at him, surprising Naruto. "I'll tell you what I know later. Right now, we apparently have a demon to hunt."

"Your assistance would be greatly appreciated," the priest nodded. The mayor still looked dubious. Kakashi turned to him.

"I know no way of convincing you other than to return the jar to you. Can I assume you've already dispatched a message to Konoha?"

"We have. I suspect you'll be receiving new orders soon." He considered the ninja before him carefully. "I regret having to be so suspicious, but we've had trouble with missing-nin before. Not all make their status plain."

"I understand your suspicion, and I'm not offended." The Jonin assured him before turning his attention to the shrine. "I'd like to examine the crime scene; see what I can learn."

"I see no harm at this point," Oshiro agreed. He motioned to one of his aides. "Haruki will show you the room where the chest is stored. I have duties to attend to." He left to return to his office.

Kakashi took a moment to summon one of his hounds and send his own quickly written message to Konoha. He'd need to know exactly what he was up against, and he had little doubt that his hound would overtake whatever messenger the mayor had sent.

With that done, he turned his attention to Haruki who led the jonin to the locked room where the chest stood open and empty. He had his students wait outside while he stopped at the door and raised his headband. He wasn't really trained for forensics work, but the sharingan missed nothing, so he reasoned that he should be able to get some kind of lead. The door didn't look like it had been forced, but that didn't mean much. He turned his attention to the room. It was not a large room, probably once used for storage. There were no windows or other doors, and there were several traps that were obvious to a trained ninja.

The booby traps had been carefully and skillfully disarmed. Whoever had taken the jar either knew the security from the inside or was a master thief with a lot of experience. He couldn't rule out either option at the moment. The chest sat unassumingly at the back of the room. As reported, it was open and empty.

After walking around the room and more or less determining what the thief had done and how he'd done it, partially through clues his eye picked up and partially through educated guesses based on his own experience, he turned his attention to the door. It wasn't necessarily an inside job. He could have managed it, although possibly not as elegantly as the thief had.

Kakashi knelt and examined the door's lock carefully. There it was. There were no marks of force on the outside, but the tumblers had been forced out of position. Probably a stiff piece of wire or some other burglar's tool, he reasoned. Assuming it wasn't an inside job, they were dealing with a highly skilled thief at best, a well-trained ninja at worst.

He tended to think it was the latter for the simple reason that thieves that skilled that weren't ninja trained were very rare, and tended to go after things of more material value. Speculating wasn't helping catch the man, though. He summoned one of his best trackers.

"Hey, Pakun." He greeted the small dog with a nod. "There was a theft here. I need you to track the culprit for me."

"Can do, Kakashi." The small dog answered in a gravelly voice and went straight to work. After a moment, the pug headed for the door and led the way out of the building. "He's making an effort to conceal his scent, but not enough of one. I can find him, but it'll take a little time."

"Do your best." Kakashi looked at his students. "Pakun will find him, and I should have an answer back from Konoha by tonight. Hopefully, we'll then have a better idea of what we're dealing with."

"Can I assume," Keiko asked, "that we're better off finding the jar before it's opened?"

"That's a safe assumption." Kakashi answered drily. "Demons of any type are bad news." They watched Pakun work his way through the streets by a circuitous route before coming to a section of the village wall that was out of clear line of sight of any of the buildings inside the wall.

"He went over the wall here." Pakun reported sniffing around the base of the wall. "Smells like he scaled the wall here, just up and over, moving pretty fast."

"Let's get after him," Kakashi ordered as he led the way up and over the wall with Pakun at his side. His genin students followed, and soon the five of them were moving swiftly through the forest altering course every few minutes as Pakun followed the trail precisely.

By mid-afternoon, they were slowly gaining on the thief, according to Pakun. Their quarry had stuck mainly to heavily forested areas, avoiding open fields, farms and when possible, roads. When Pakun slowed, they were approaching the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass. The man had slowed, according to the ninja hound and was moving more cautiously.

"He's topped. He's joined up with someone else," Pakun reported as they stopped on a branch about 30 feet off the ground. "A woman who smells odd." He paused. "Medicinal herbs, ash, feathers."

"Spread out." Kakashi had them approach the clearing from several directions, hoping to capture the thief and whoever he was meeting. His genin got into position and waited for his signal. Each kept to the high branches of the trees, trying to avoid detection. It would be useless if one of the people they were sneaking up on was a sensory type, but they had little choice.

When the signal came, they rushed forward into the clearing. The thief was there, but he was dead. Of the jar and the person he'd been meeting, there was no sign.

"Pakun?"

"No sign of her now." The ninja hound sniffed the ground and began walking in ever widening circles. "She, definitely a she, met him here, took the jar, killed him, then…she just vanished. May have been a jutsu I'm not familiar with or maybe some kind of clone."

"If it was a clone, shouldn't the jar still be here?" Naruto asked. "I mean I get the memories of my shadow clones, but I don't get whatever they were holding when dispersed."

"True." Kakashi looked around. "You smelled feathers?" He glanced at Pakun.

"Yeah. Oh. Bird summon of some kind. That would explain it."

"Can you tell what kind of bird?" Sasuke asked, recalling that his family had the hawk summoning contract.

"Hmm. It was a raptor of some kind." The ninja-hound shook his head. "That's all I can tell."

"So, eagle or hawk or something like that?" Keiko offered.

"Yep." Pakun paused in his sniffing to look at her. "I can tell it was a summons animal. There is a slight difference in the scent between those and the ones you'd find in the wild."

"We have no way to track the jar or this woman at the moment." Kakashi summed up. He took a moment to seal the body away in a storage scroll in the hopes that the analysts back in Konoha could find some clue for them. "Let's go back to the village and wait word from the Hokage."

His students nodded and they left without a word. The journey back was carried out mostly in silence. Kakashi quietly reviewed everything he'd learned so far, which admittedly wasn't much. At this point, he could only hope that the Hokage could provide a lead to finding the jar and the demon it contained.

He also knew that, at some point, he would have to deal with the questions Naruto would no doubt have. Fortunately, the boy didn't know about the fox in his gut, but he would have questions about the Uzumaki clan. He had never asked Kakashi about it, and the jonin wasn't sure what he had been told. The topic had probably come up during discussions with the Hokage. It would only be natural for Naruto to ask the one person who would be likely to know.

To his surprise, Naruto held his questions till they reached the village and Kakashi told Oshiro what had happened. At that point, there was nothing to do but wait for the Hokage's reply to his message. While they waited, Kakashi decided to look over the crime scene again.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, following his jonin-sensei to the shrine. The others had gone to get rooms at the inn. It might be a day or two before they got any leads.

"Yes?"

"What do you know about the Uzumaki clan?"

"They were from the Hidden Eddy Village in the land of Whirlpools. They were a well-known and well respected clan, famous for their fuinjutsu."

"Were?"

The village was overwhelmed and destroyed during the third great ninja war. No one knows how many, if any, of the clan survived."

"And me?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I don't know. I only knew of one Uzumaki in the village, but she died in the Kyuubi's attack. The last I saw of her, she hadn't had any children." It pained him to be lying to the boy, but it was for his own good. Minato-sensei had had so many enemies. If any of them knew that the Yellow Flash had a son, there would be chaos as they competed to infiltrate Konoha and take vengeance. Keeping his lineage secret protected Naruto and the village. Someday, he knew, he'd be able to tell the boy the whole truth. Naruto was growing stronger by the day. "There could have been others; civilians maybe. I'm afraid I don't know who your parents were."

"The one you knew? That was Kushina, right?" If Naruto found Kakashi's words odd, he didn't show it. He just looked a bit disappointed.

"That's right." They reached the room where the theft had occurred. "Wait out here. I'm going to have another look around, and I need to concentrate."

Naruto fell silent and watched his sensei. What Kakashi had said didn't directly contradict what the Hokage had told him, but he'd been vague and Naruto couldn't help feeling he was being brushed off, like the man wanted to end the conversation as quickly as he could.

Leaving his sensei to it, he went in search of the old priest, Akiyama. He would probably know more. He couldn't find the old man, though, and was told by one of the junior priests that he'd gone home for the day, as the sun had set shortly after their return to the village. That seemed odd. He asked after the old man's health.

It seemed strange that he would leave the shrine given what had happened. He was told Akiyama had just been exhausted and gone home for the night. Naruto still found it a bit odd. So, he got directions and went to check on him.

There were quarters for the priests attached to the village shrine, but the head priest had a house on the outskirts of the village. It was a family home, according to the man Naruto had talked to, so it wasn't seen as unusual for him to live apart from the shrine he was responsible for.

Naruto didn't bother telling Kakashi. He knew he probably should have, but it seemed a minor matter. He could get help if there was anything odd going on with Akiyama. If the man really was just tired, questions about the Uzumaki could certainly wait. Setting out across the village, it didn't take too long to arrive at an old but well-kept house.

Naruto extended his chakra senses in that direction and discovered two people inside. One was civilian, probably the priest. The other was definitely a ninja. He paused, not sure what to make of this development. Deciding against barging into a situation he didn't understand, a bad habit Keiji and Hiro had worked hard to break him of, he stopped and listened, channeling chakra to his ears, as Hiro had taught him.

His brother had learned the technique from his on-again-off-again girlfriend, an Inuzaka. Hana, like many of her clan, was somewhat temperamental, but she knew some marvelous jutsu for enhancing one's senses. Hiro had taught it to Naruto to help him keep out of trouble. Naruto had to admit that it did that. He was able to evade pursuit after a prank far more easily when he could hear everything those pursuing him said. It was near impossible to sneak up on someone who could hear every slight sound you made and spot potential trouble from a much greater distance.

He suspected that that wasn't what Hiro had had in mind, but what big brother didn't know wouldn't hurt him. He listened carefully to what was being said.

"I did as you asked, and I'll keep your secret. Please release my niece and her family."

"Their part in this is done," the strange ninja agreed. "They'll be released, but you know far too much."

Naruto launched himself through the nearest window, making as much noise as he could, hoping to distract the ninja and attract attention from outside. He found himself in the house's main living area. The priest was backing away from a slender man who was in the process of drawing a kunai.

Naruto scowled at the strange ninja as the man spun to face him. Clearly, this one enjoyed terrorizing people, and that always annoyed him. He knew ANBU in Konoha like that, and he remembered some of the Uchiha on the village police force, before he'd met Shisui, that were the same. This man liked cruelty.

"You're not touching him." Naruto growled.

"And who, pray tell, are you?" The strange ninja turned to face him.

"I'm the guy who's gonna kick your ass if you don't get away from him."

"Well that's quite a mouthful." The man smirked. "That's okay. The dead don't need names." He moved more quickly than Naruto could follow and the genin barely managed to avoid the thrown kunai. He drew a kunai of his own and slashed at the man, hoping to catch him off guard, but his opponent just laughed and knocked him across the room. He didn't follow up immediately. He paused to throw a kunai into the back of the fleeing priest. "That's that. Time for some fun."

Naruto managed to roll out of the way of the next attack, stomp aimed at his midriff, while gathering his chakra. "Let's even the odds. Shadow clone jutsu!" Six additional Narutos appeared, and attacked all at once. One of them, he was certain, would get close enough to use the knockout gas he'd learned to make on his first C-rank.

He used the breathing room it bought him to gather his chakra into a tight bundle, and release it just as Shisui had taught him. The pulse, he knew, would be felt across most of the village.

"Well that's impressive," the man commented, popping the last of his clones. "Also inconvenient. Now I'll just have to kill you and move on quickly."

"Not likely, bastard." He used a wind jutsu he had been working on to stagger the man. He couldn't produce much more than a strong gust of wind, but it was enough to buy him time. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm not going down that easy!"

The man paused as he moved in for his next attack. "Uzumaki? Naruto Uzumaki?"

"That's right, jerk. I'm the future Hokage, and you're gonna pay for what you did here."

"Well, this is a surprise. You've saved me a lot of time and trouble." He vanished from in front of Naruto and struck him from behind with the hilt of his kunai. "My employer will be pleased." He scooped up the unconscious boy and left by the back door. It wouldn't be long before the rest of the boy's squad responded to that chakra pulse, and he didn't feel like fighting a jonin at the moment.

OOOOOOOOOO

Kakashi entered the house at the center of the chakra pulse he had felt and looked around. There was no sign of Naruto, but there had definitely been a fight there. His attention was caught by a feeble moan and reached the fallen priest just as Sasuke and Keiko arrived.

"What happened here, sensei?" Keiko asked. "That felt like Naruto's chakra pulse."

"It was. He set off here." He carefully examined the old man. Akiyama was badly hurt, but still alive.

"Uzumaki," the man groaned. "He took Uzumaki. You must stop them."

"We'll get him back," Kakashi assured him, examining the old priest's wounds. He knew very little about medical jutsu, but he knew a fatal wound when he saw one. "Do you know why your attacker took him?"

"He is…Uzumaki. The same clan sealed the demon…" He broke off in a weak coughing fit. "Only one of that bloodline can open it. You must go after him."

"We will." Kakashi assured him. "For now; rest. We'll have a doctor here soon."

The priest coughed up blood. "I am dying and we both know it. Do not waste time on me. Go!" He broke into another coughing fit and slumped back one last time. Kakashi sighed and closed the old man's eyes.

Kakashi rose and turned to face his students. Gone was their easy going sensei. The ANBU captain he had been before taking them on stood before them. "You heard him. Let's go." He gave several rapid orders. His students nodded and headed for the door. Pakun would be able to track Naruto, and Kakashi felt confident that his missing student wouldn't make life easy for his captors.

They headed for the edge of the village, pausing only long enough for Kakashi to make a shadow clone to inform the mayor of what had happened. They didn't have time to waste, and he was concerned that the man would try to detain them as suspects. When the clone dispelled a few minutes later, he was surprise to learn that Oshiro had made no such attempt and asked only that they bring his friend's killer back to face justice.

"We'll do our best." The clone assured him before leaving the mayor's office. He traveled a short distance in full view before dropping out of sight and dispersing himself. The real Kakashi, snorted in mild surprise as he led his students through the forest, already nearly a mile from the village wall. "That went better than I expected."

OOOOOOOOOO

Naruto discovered that he was carefully bound when he woke up. He didn't try to disguise the fact that he was conscious, but he did stay quiet, looking around to determine the nature of his situation.

Being carried over the shoulder of the ninja he'd fought earlier, he was moving at an impressive speed away from the village and his squad. He knew Kakashi could track him, so he wasn't overly worried. His wrists were tied securely, in a manner that would prevent the standard escape jutsu from being effective, but he knew by the way he was bound, what kind of knots had been used. Getting out of it would take a little time, but he knew he could do it, as long as his efforts weren't noticed. He left it alone for the moment.

"That's good, kid." His captor spoke to him. "Just keep still and don't give me a reason to hurt you. I need you alive. That doesn't mean you have to have all your bits attached."

Naruto considered staying silent to avoid aggravating the man. That would have been the smart thing to do. Bide his time and act docile. Wait for an opportunity to strike.

"So are you with the guy that stole the jar or the woman who killed him and took it?" He had managed to stay silent for almost five seconds. Hiro would have been proud of him.

The man carrying him started violently, but then settled into a smooth pace again. "What are you talking about?"

"The jar from the shrine. The one Akiyama was head priest of. The first guy stole it. Then some woman who smells like medicine and birds killed him and took it. You work with one of them?"

"You don't need to know," he answered after a moment's thought. "But I do thank you for the information. Now shut up." The man picked up his pace and the ride became a bit rougher. Naruto took a moment to think about the man's reaction. He'd apparently hit a nerve.

"It could also be that the three of you were in this together. That would be bad news for you, since she apparently doesn't want to share whatever benefit she hopes to get out of turning a demon loose."

"I said shut… Demon?"

"Yep. That's what's in the jar. At least, that's what the old priest said."

"Why would she-? Never mind. Just shut up or I'll cut out your tongue."

Naruto decided not to push his luck. He'd already given the man a couple of nasty surprises, based on his reactions. He wondered how the upcoming meeting would go.

He turned his attention to his surroundings. Judging by the forest they were traveling through, they were still in the Land of Fire. They were traveling west and if they'd been moving that direction from the start, Konoha should be about a week's travel north-west. That information wasn't terribly useful, but he felt a bit of pride at having worked it out. After thinking hard about the current mess he was in, he had little choice but to do the one thing he hated most. He had to wait.

He knew how to get out of his bindings and knew he couldn't do it right then. He knew Kakashi, Sasuke and Keiko would be searching for him, but he couldn't do anything to alert them or even mark his trail without antagonizing his captor. All he could do was watch and wait for an opportunity. His kekkei genkai was his greatest advantage. He didn't need hand signs for his breath weapons, thanks to the training Kakashi had devised for him. It helped him focus his chakra, though, so it would be best if his hands were free. Of course, knocking out the man carrying him, under the circumstances, would not be a good idea. Besides, the man was taking him straight to the stolen jar. Naruto allowed himself a grin, and settled in for the ride.

OOOOOOOOOO

Pakun led the way with Kakashi and the rest of team 7 right behind him. Tracking the boy wasn't difficult. His scent was well known to the trackers of the dog clan. All of Kakashi's students were known. The jonin had made sure of that. The man holding him captive wasn't familiar, but the pug committed his scent to memory, as the man was clearly an enemy that would need to be dealt with.

Keiko frowned in concentration as Team 7 leaped through the trees, moving from branch to branch. Keeping the pace Kakashi-sensei had set wasn't easy. She wasn't tiring, thanks to his rigorous training, but picking her next landing point and the angle at which to leave it at their current speed was a challenge. She took it as a sign of precisely how worried the jonin was. She was worried as well, but knew that if anyone could turn the tables on his captors, Naruto could. The kid had proven himself full of surprises.

She still remembered and occasionally snickered over Kakashi's difficulty during the bell test. Just as she did over some of the blonde's more memorable pranks. Keiko had made a point of not standing out in the Academy. At first, it was because she lacked confidence. She knew she'd likely humiliate herself if she tried showing off what she had learned. That never seemed to bother Naruto, though. He kept going, kept bragging and failing no matter how many times he screwed up. Most thought that made him an idiot, and he really wasn't the brightest student, it was true. But Keiko saw something different. Naruto was irrepressible.

She'd seen the shy Hyuuga girl eyeing him, and could almost understand the attraction. In some ways, he was everything that Hinata wasn't. He was bold, courageous, confident. Irrepressible.

Keiko allowed herself a smile, even as the pace picked up. Pakun had detected the woman who smelled of herbs and feathers. Naruto would be fine. She had no doubts.

OOOOOOOOOO

Washi Koga, formerly of the Hidden Stone Village, was angry. His prisoner had no reason to lie to him. The inept brat was trying, rather clumsily, to pry information out of him and had given away some things that he was certain his employer didn't want him to know. It was possible the boy was lying to turn him against his employers, hoping that he would do something stupid, but Washi rather doubted it. The boy seemed completely guileless. If Haru was indeed dead, then the bitch and her bedridden husband would soon follow.

They arrived at the site of the camp, well concealed but with markers that Washi knew to look for. He dropped to the ground a fair distance away and walked into the camp to avoid the traps set in the trees for any ninja seeking to attack them from above or merely hide in the foliage.

"I've brought the Uzumaki boy." He announced as he entered the clearing and dropped Naruto to the ground. No one answered at first; then a woman appeared out of a tree trunk.

Genjutsu, Naruto realized as he carefully examined his surroundings. He wasn't terribly good at spotting them, but if he could generate a powerful enough chakra pulse, he could disrupt any genjutsu in the area, regardless of who or what was powering it.

He set to work on his bonds as the man who had grabbed him approached the woman. He listened carefully, hoping to learn more about what was going on.

"I'm surprised." The woman admitted. "I thought we'd have to kidnap him out of the Hidden Leaf Village."

"He was out on a mission." Washi shrugged. "I got lucky."

"I've already sent Haru on ahead. I should send you after him." The woman thought for a moment, then apparently dismissing the matter as unimportant. "For the moment, though, assist me in readying the jar. You can leave in a few minutes to meet up with him." Washi hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. "Prepare a chakra seal. Just carve it into the ground. I'll get the jar ready."

Washi blinked in surprise, but nodded, drawing a kunai and dropping to one knee as the woman turned away. Naruto would have warned him, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself at the moment. It also proved unnecessary, as the moment the woman turned her back, Washi's kunai was at her throat.

"The boy's team found Haru's body. I know what you did."

"That is unfortunate," the woman answered, unconcerned by the blade at her throat.

"Yes. For y-ckk!" Washi's knife dropped from nerveless fingers and the woman stepped out of the way of his falling corpse.

"Now I'll have to carve that seal myself." She sighed.

"Why not have the boy do it?" Naruto looked across the clearing to the source of the senbon sticking out of his kidnaper's neck. "He's almost free anyway." A well-built man in his early 30s calmly made his limping way across the clearing. The man had clearly seen better days and the effort to stand and walk, even with the crutch he was leaning on, wearied him. "We should go, Kaida. I'm willing to bet that Washi was no more capable of losing a trained tracker than his idiot brother."

"Very likely," the woman admitted. "We're so close, though." She started for Naruto, intent on binding him more effectively. Grabbing him by the front of the gray jacket he wore over a shirt that proved to be an eye-watering shade of orange, she pulled him to his feet, only to receive a face full of something that caused the world to fade almost instantly to darkness.

Naruto threw off the last of his bonds and turned to face the man with the crutch. He then froze in place, unable to move.

"A technique done without hand seals? You are full of surprises. Sadly, we need you, so you won't be going anywhere."

Naruto tried to move, but he couldn't. All he could do was stare. _Those eyes. The same eyes as Shisui._ Then the world began to twist and turn and he fell into darkness.


	23. Secrets

CH. 23 Secrets Like a Cancer

See Ch. 1 for disclaimers

It was well after midnight when they caught up with Naruto and the ninja that had abducted him. Kakashi slowed as he approached the clearing, telling his students to hang back, knowing things were not what they seemed. Pakun could tell that Naruto was no longer there, but his kidnapper was. Moving carefully around the edge, he examined the well-hidden camp with his sharingan. Naruto was there, apparently, bound and gagged, but Pakun had already confirmed that they'd moved on. The kidnapper was also there, apparently unaware of his presence. The man sat by a carefully concealed fire, apparently hard at work on something and not keeping watch as any competent ninja would. It was clearly a trap. His sharingan revealed that the movements the man was making were the result of a genjutsu. He could tell it was an area effect, maintained, Kakashi suspected, by hidden tags that were triggered by his approach. The ninja in the clearing wasn't actually moving at all, not even to breathe.

 _Well, they expect to catch me in a trap. Can't disappoint them_. He created a shadow clone and sent it into the clearing. The clone attacked the dead ninja in the clearing, triggering an impressive number of exploding tags. The Naruto in the clearing collapsed into a pile of mud. Clearly, whoever had set the trap didn't know that it was Kakashi leading the team.

That was an advantage he hoped to keep for as long as possible. He signaled to his students and Pakun, and they resumed the hunt. It took time to find the trail as whoever now had Naruto was far more skilled at covering their tracks. Pakun was still able to follow, but it would take longer.

Their pursuit was delayed by the cry of a bird. Kakashi looked up and saw a Konoha messenger hawk. The bird descended at his signal and presented him with a sealed scroll. Taking and quickly opening it, he read the reply the Hokage had sent, frowning over the contents of the message.

"Well, that's not good."

"What does it say, Kakashi-sensei?" Keiko asked. "How do we handle the demon?"

"Carefully," he answered. "We have to get there before the demon is released. Come on."

Detouring around the camp, in case there were further surprises, Kakashi and his team moved on. Pakun had to range back and forth across the most likely route the enemy had taken more often and even backtrack a couple of times. Kakashi urged speed, but there was only so much his summoned tracker could do.

"If I rush, I might miss the trail," Pakun told him bluntly. "That would cost us more time."

"I know," Kakashi repressed a sigh. He considered summoning more trackers to widen the search area, but realized that that wouldn't help much and would cost chakra he might not be able to spare. The Hokage's warning about the demon was quite clear. Using Naruto's blood to release the creature could have disastrous consequences.

With frustrating slowness, Pakun followed the faint and often masked trail through the forest. It took time, and he almost lost it twice, but he did lead them to Naruto. By then, though, it was already too late.

OOOOOOOOOO

Naruto awoke to find himself bound far more effectively. He wasn't being carried this time, he noted. They had apparently reached wherever it was they were going. He looked around. It was a cave, and he couldn't see any natural light or feel a breeze. It was likely they were fairly deep or the entrance had somehow been sealed, probably to conceal it from his team.

His captors, the woman, whose name he couldn't recall and the unknown Uchiha were a short distance away, working on something he couldn't make out. There was a sound he recognized as the cry of a hawk, and Naruto looked up to see one perched on a nearby outcropping, watching him.

The man approached, but didn't get too close. "Welcome back, Uzumaki."

"What was that?" Naruto cocked his head to one side, as if he was having trouble hearing.

The man laughed. "I'm not coming within range of your jutsu, boy." He sobered. "You'll be of use to us soon enough. In the meantime, I suggest you not strain yourself. I served with Keiji Denkoyama during the last war, and I know every trick he could have taught you."

"What do you want from me, anyway?" Naruto demanded, hoping that 'being helpless' would inspire the man to talk. Unfortunately, whoever the man was, he was not interested in revealing his evil plan like some comic book villain.

The man, who Naruto could now see, definitely had a sharingan, walked over to where the woman was working on something. He channeled chakra to his ears so he could eavesdrop.

"The seal to contain and control the demon is almost ready. What about the boy?"

"He's ready."

"Botan. Are you sure he's an Uzumaki? I've heard it said that he was just given the name to honor that clan because no one knew who his parents were."

"I'm sure. The records I was able to access before the massacre were quite clear. His mother was Kushina Uzumaki. He'll be able to open the jar and release our weapon."

"Let's hope so. The records you were able to steal are incomplete. If he can't open it safely for us, there's no telling what the thing inside will do."

"It will do what we tell it," the man assured her. "Konoha will pay for what it did to the Uchiha clan."

The woman nodded and turned her attention to inspecting her work for flaws one last time. Then she paused and looked back up. "Kushina? Doesn't that mean his father…?"

"Yes. A fine irony, don't you think? They really should treat the boy better. If not for his parentage then for the other thing."

The woman snorted. "That never made any sense to me. If he really was what a lot of the civilians seem to believe he is, you'd think they'd treat him with some respect, at least to his face." She shook her head and went back to work. The pattern was carved into the rock of the cave floor. Naruto couldn't see it properly, but he could tell it was a complicated seal of some sort.

The seal didn't really interest him anyway. He was an Uzumaki by blood. They were certain of it, and his mother's name was Kushina. That one small bit of information was worth more than gold to him. Having one question answered, however, as it inevitably did, led to more questions. Who was his father? The vague reference wasn't to helpful. Was his father someone important to the village? Why were their identities such a secret? Obviously, the Hokage knew. And what did he mean about 'the other thing?' What did the civilians believe that would make them afraid of him?

What the man had said about the Uchiha was equally confusing. It made no sense. Itachi was crazy and had acted alone. Why would this man blame Konoha? Did he think the village would wipe out one of its most powerful clans? Sounded silly and paranoid to him. Of course what he believed wasn't important. The unknown Uchiha clearly believed Konoha was to blame somehow. It was a puzzle for later, he decided, as he doubted the answer would get out of his current mess.

The man, Botan apparently, had tied him in such a way that he couldn't touch his restraints or any part of himself. There were ways out of it, but they weren't subtle. It would take brute force, or an ally.

Maybe they would loosen his bonds in order to get him to do whatever it was they wanted him for. For the moment, that seemed the best bet. He listened in to see what else he could learn, but the two didn't say anything else. At least not until they were ready for him.

Kaida approached, but stopped out of range of his sleeping gas. He couldn't think of anything else that would be useful, so he held off. Botan approached as well, sharingan spinning. Naruto suddenly felt as if he was falling. Then things got worse. Concentration became impossible and he was only vaguely aware of being manhandled toward the seal and the clay jar that had been set in the middle of it.

The sting of a blade slicing into his palm helped him focus on what was going on around him, and he realized he'd been partially freed. One of his captors, likely the woman, as Botan continued to walk with the aid of his crutch, pressed his bloodied hand to a seal on the jar. It began to warm under his hand.

A line appeared on the jar, denoting the point where the lid joined the body. That line began to smoke as whatever substance had been used to seal the jar was burned away. The lid finally shot into the air with enough force to shatter it against the roof of the cave and a dense cloud of chakra began to emerge.

All three ninja could feel the hatred that the chakra emanated a well as the malevolent glee that came with the realization of freedom. The cloud did not take on any recognizable form, but instead, hung in the air for a moment as if waiting or perhaps assessing the situation.

Botan grinned. "Perfect." The grin vanished almost immediately, however, as the chakra cloud surged forward, pushing through the skin of Naruto's outstretched hand. It moved up his arm and into his body, bypassing the seal carved into the floor entirely.

Naruto gave a pained cry at the touch of the caustic chakra that invaded his system but that cry was quickly cut off. His body straightened and looked around curiously. "Hmm. No control seal? You two are either very trusting or very stupid." Almost casually, the demon freed itself from the remaining restraints, ripping them off.

The two adult ninja looked at each other in confusion for a moment before realizing that the means of controlling the demon should have been on the boy. The looks on their faces were easy for the demon to read.

"It didn't occur to you that I wouldn't have a body of my own anymore, did it?" The demon chuckled. "Yes. That was destroyed when I was captured and my chakra was stuffed into that miserable jar. I suppose I should be grateful, though. You did free me. What did you intend to ask of me? If your request amuses me, I might carry out your wishes."

"I believe it will," Botan answered smoothly, adapting to the new circumstances. "What we seek is nothing less than the destruction of Konoha."

This intrigued the demon, who motioned him to continue.

"Konoha's leadership grew jealous of the Uchiha clan, of their power and prestige. Restriction after restriction was placed on us till we had no choice but to act against them. Before we could restore proper order to the village, however, the Hokage turned one of our own against us. The Uchiha have been all but exterminated."

"I can't say I'm sorry to hear that," the demon informed them with a smile. "It was Madara who stuffed me into that jar to begin with."

"Madara is long dead," Botan answered. "Killed by the first Hokage for having a different vision for the village they built together. Now we can both have our vengeance. Help me to tear apart their legacy."

"Hmm. That is a most intriguing offer." The demon admitted thoughtfully, and considered. "How did you escape?"

"I was out of the village on a mission at the time of the massacre. When my wife," he gestured at Kaida, "learned of what had happened, she fled the village to find me. She interrupted a fight between me and the traitorous Itachi Uchiha. Deceiving him nearly cost us our lives, but the Hokage's assassin left thinking he had killed us both. It took us a long time to recover, but we are ready to act."

"You barely look ready to stand," the demon countered, amused by the bravado of the former Konoha ninja. "No matter, though. You wish death to the traitor? And the ones who gave him his orders?"

"Yes." Botan and Kaida both nodded.

"Then we are agreed. I will achieve your revenge for you. And mine as well, by wiping out all vestige of the Uchiha!" Even as he spoke, before either Botan or Kaida could react, the demon wearing the boy lunged forward, driving a clawed hand beneath each breast bone and then angling up to reach and rip out the hearts.

He smiled down at their corpses. "That was satisfying. Guess you two did take a serious beating. Madara would have been ashamed." He looked around the cave. "Now. How shall I proceed?"

' _ **YOU CAN DIE IN AGONY**_.'

"What?" Naruto's body froze in place.

OOOOOOOOOO

Naruto woke in a sewer. He didn't know where he was or how he'd gotten there, but there was something odd going on aside from waking up in a sewer. His mind flashed back to Keiji's lessons.

Examine your surroundings. He was in a sewer. There was something odd about it. He saw the water, the walkways, the pipes, and looked back at the water. It was clear. There was none of the filth one would expect to see in a sewer. "Okay. Weird." Glancing each way down the tunnel he found himself in, he picked a direction at random and started walking. He couldn't see or hear or sense any difference in any direction at the moment, so reasoned one was as good as another.

He walked for a time, until he began to hear faint voices. Moving more quickly, he listened in, trying to get an idea of where he was and what was going on. He tried channeling chakra to his ears, but it didn't seem to help. The voices did become clearer, though as he continued on.

"-the Hokage turned one of our own against us. The Uchiha have been all but exterminated."

"I can't say I'm sorry to hear that," Naruto's own voice replied, sounding pleased. "It was Madara who stuffed me into that jar to begin with." Naruto stopped, thoroughly confused.

"Madara is long dead," Botan answered. "Killed by the first Hokage for having a different vision for the village they built together. Now we can both have our vengeance. Help me to tear apart their legacy."

Naruto didn't hear the reply. He had stopped in his tracks at Botan's words. _The Hokage? Impossible. The old man wouldn't do that._ He listened in again, hearing Botan's explanation of how he and the woman, his wife, escaped and had apparently been living in hiding ever since.

He didn't know what to make of all of this. What they were saying made no sense. What was talking with his voice? _And where the hell am I?!_

He didn't get an answer, but things did get stranger. A new voice spoke up, and it seemed to be coming from the large chamber just ahead of him. Moving as quickly and quietly as he could, Naruto snuck to the entrance and peeked in.

The chamber beyond was massive. It had to be to accommodate the cage and the gigantic thing inside it. While it couldn't get out, it could reach through. It was doing so at the moment. There was something Naruto couldn't make out, struggling weakly beneath an enormous red-furred paw.

" _INSOLENT LITTLE GNAT. YOU DARE TRY TO POSESS MY HOST?_ "

"Your host? The boy is jinchuuriki? Mighty Kyuubi, I had no idea!" The voice of who or whatever the giant fox had pinned to the floor was pained and its owner struggling for breath, but it was clearly audible to Naruto.

 _That thing is the Kyuubi? I'm a jinchuriki? What the hell?_

" _YOUR IGNORANCE IS YOUR OWN AFFAIR, BUT IT WON'T TROUBLE YOU ANY FURTHER._ " Whoever the fox had pinned screamed as the Kyuubi bore down on it and dragged its claws through the smear left on the floor. That smear dissolved into a sickly yellow cloud of chakra that hovered in the air like a dense fog for a few seconds before the Kyuubi put its muzzle to the bars and inhaled, drawing what was left of the intruder into itself. The fox let out a sigh of satisfaction. It settled back further into its cage. "FIRST GOOD MEAL IN YEARS," the fox muttered. After a moment its eyes focused on Naruto's hiding spot. "DON'T BE RUDE BOY. COME HERE."

Naruto stepped into the chamber and approached the bars, careful to stop well out of the beast's reach. "So you're the Kyuubi." He looked over the caged creature. "I'm not impressed."

" _INSOLENT BRAT_." The fox growled.

"What are you even doing here?" Naruto demanded, wanting to make some sense of the conversation. "For that matter, what am I doing here?"

" _THIS IS YOUR MIND, FOOL. I AM HERE BECAUSE OF THE FOURTH HOKAGE'S LUCK. HE WAS ABLE TO CALL UPON THE SHINIGAMI WHEN I LAST ESCAPED. YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE THAT LITTLE PEST SHOVED YOU IN HERE WHEN HE TOOK CONTROL OF YOUR BODY._ "

"Took control-? So that's what came out of that jar." He frowned, suffering a moment of mixed emotions. "I'm pretty sure it killed the two who let it out."

" _NOT SURPRISING. HE ALWAYS DID DESPISE HUMANS. IT IS PERHAPS THE ONLY THING WE HAD IN COMMON._ "

"So he's gone now. You're still stuck in here. Everything is back to normal."

The fox raised its head from its paws and regarded him speculatively. " _EXCEPT THAT YOU NOW KNOW OF ME. YOU KNOW THE FOURTH HOKAGE SACRIFICED YOU TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE WHO TREAT YOU LIKE DIRT._ "

"He did it to save the village from you." Naruto chose not to rise to the bait. "I can live with that. I've got friends…family there."

" _A FEW OUT OF AN ENTIRE VILLAGE._ " The fox pointed out.

"It's enough."

" _A VILLAGE THAT HAS KEPT SO MUCH FROM YOU. I MAY BE A PRISONER, BUT YOU ARE A TOOL. THEIR SECRETS PUT YOU AT GREAT RISK._ "

"And you care so much about me." Naruto rolled his eyes.

" _IF YOU DIE AT THE HANDS OF KONOHA'S ENEMIES, OR MORE LIKELY AT THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE YOU PROTECT, THEN I WILL BE DISPERSED. IT WOULD NOT BE FATAL, BUT IT WOULD BE VERY UNPLEASANT. IT WOULD TAKE ME YEARS TO REFORM._ "

"So it's all about self-interest. What a shock coming from a demon."

" _IF YOU SEEK TO INSULT ME, YOU WILL HAVE TO TRY HARDER. FOR NOW. BEGONE!_ "

Naruto gasped as he came awake. Getting shoved out of…whatever that had been, was extremely disorienting. He staggered and nearly fell, but a pair of strong hands gripped his shoulders and held him upright.

"Naruto. Are you okay?"

He looked up to find Kakashi helping him stay upright while Sasuke and Keiko looked around the cave. Sasuke was kneeling next to the two corpses.

"I'm okay, sensei." Naruto looked at Sasuke who was frowning over the dead man. "He said his name was Botan Uchiha," Naruto offered. "That's his wife, Kaida."

"I've heard the names," Kakashi mused, looking them over. "They disappeared years ago, assumed dead. I didn't know they were married, though. Did you learn anything from them?"

Naruto frowned, considering. "I tried listening in on them. They didn't talk a lot to me. Kaida said she'd left the village right after Itachi's attack on the Uchiha clan. Went to find Botan and warn him. They both fought him and were nearly killed. Botan was still walking with a crutch. They…" he hesitated to continue, but the rest of the team was watching him expectantly. "I don't know. I only caught bits of their talk. They said something about using the demon in the jar for revenge." He decided to leave it at that till he could talk to the Hokage. The ranting about Konoha slaughtering the Uchiha sounded pure paranoid fantasy to him. Repeating that in front of Sasuke wouldn't lead anywhere good.

"And where is the demon now?" Kakashi asked. "We've seen no sign of it beyond some traces of a nearly toxic chakra around that circle." He pointed. "Do you know what happened?"

 _That_ , Naruto decided suppressing his anger with an effort, _is_ _a different matter entirely_. "They screwed up the containment and it escaped. The demon needed a host, so it picked me. You know, being an Uzumaki and the one whose blood was used to let it out."

"It…possessed you?" Kakashi asked warily.

"Yeah. It used me to kill them." He looked Kakashi straight in the eye, wanting to see his reaction. "Then, the Kyuubi ate it."

Kakashi blinked, not saying anything. Then he blinked again. "Say that again?"

"The Kyuubi," Naruto said slowly and distinctly, "who is caged inside me, ate it. The fox didn't like another demon intruding."

"The Kyuubi is inside you?" Keiko asked hesitantly.

He turned to her and nodded. "I'm a jinchuuriki, just like that old priest described."

"You didn't mention that when we all introduced ourselves." Keiko pointed out, not backing away as he'd half feared she would.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I just found out. The fox and I had a talk when he was done with the thing from the jar. He really doesn't like me or Konoha or… you know; people in general." He looked back at Kakashi. "It's nice to know why people treat me the way they do, finally."

"It wasn't my secret to tell." Kakashi answered calmly, not disturbed in the least by the glare from his old sensei's son. "When the fox was first sealed away, the Hokage told the council that you were a jinchuuriki and that the Fourth had wanted you to be regarded as a hero for protecting the village."

"Well that worked out great," Naruto grumbled.

"The council didn't react as he'd expected. Word spread among the ninja of the village and the civilians who knew even less about sealing. Very few understand what a jinchuuriki is or how brilliant the Fourth's work is. Some, I honestly think, believed you were just the fox stuffed into a human body."

"That's stupid," Keiko said loyally. "Anyone who bothers talking to Naruto knows he's no demon."

"Most people didn't bother." Kakashi shrugged. "They just listened to rumors. The third Hokage finally passed a law making it illegal to talk to anyone about Naruto's status that didn't already know. Since Naruto told you two about it, I'm now free to provide the details."

"So you didn't have any choice in the matter?" Naruto asked, feeling his anger begin to drain away."

Kakashi shook his head. "The Hokage made the best of a bad situation. He can give orders in the village, but he can't effect what people choose to believe, no matter how idiotic it is."

"Do Keiji and Hiro know?"

"I believe so." Kakashi nodded. "They were under the same constraints I was, though." Naruto nodded glumly.

"Did either of them know anything about Itachi?" Sasuke broke in, standing up from his examination of Botan.

"I don't know." Naruto answered truthfully. "They didn't say anything specific about him." Sasuke's shoulder's slumped in disappointment. "You'll find him someday, I'm sure." Then he paused. "You aren't even going to comment on the demon fox thing?"

"Is it important?" Sasuke asked. "You're not the fox." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Though, it does explain why you have so much chakra."

Naruto stared at him for a moment, blinked a couple of times. "Okay then," he said finally. "Let's go home, huh?" He looked around at his team.

"Well, the jar is empty, the demon is destroyed, and all the people responsible for its theft are dead." He considered. "I'll send a shadow clone to the village with what's left of the jar and tell the mayor what happened. We can move on to Konoha."


	24. Answers and Lies

See Ch. 1 for disclaimers

CH. 24 Answers and lies

Kakashi repressed a sigh of relief when he led his team through Konoha's main gate. It wouldn't do to let his student's see how stressed the events of the last few days had left him. While it was true that Keiko and Sasuke had handled the revelation regarding the Kyuubi no Kitsuni better than he could have hoped, he couldn't help but think that Naruto was hiding something from him. The boy had seemed to accept Kakashi's explanation regarding why he couldn't talk about the fox, but he'd also caught the boy looking at him oddly a few times during their trip home and found himself wondering what else Botan and Kaeda might have said in front of him. Hopefully, Naruto would be more forthcoming with the Hokage.

Fortunately, that was their first stop. The Hokage's secretary was busy with paper work and simply waved them through without a word. Kakashi wasn't terribly surprised that they were expected, and he led his team into the office to find the old man seated behind his desk with his own ever present paperwork in front of him.

"Welcome home, Team 7." The Hokage nodded in greeting. "I understand there were a few complications along the way."

"That's for sure," Naruto muttered.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kakashi spoke over his student. "I'll provide a thorough account of the mission to Wave later on, but our encounter with the demon in the jar is of more immediate concern." He proceeded to give a thorough report regarding the encounter with the peddler and all that had followed, ending with their return to the village.

The Hokage listened gravely to the account, saving his questions until the end. Once he had clarified a few points regarding the demon's release and subsequent destruction as well as Botan's actions, he dismissed Team 7 with a warning that the matter was classified, but he asked Naruto to linger so he could personally check on the seal. Once the others had left and he was satisfied as to the stability of the seal that kept the Kyuubi contained, he gave Naruto a sympathetic look.

"I am sorry, Naruto. I know you must be angry over what I have kept from you. If you still wish to wear this hat someday, however, I can guarantee that you will have to make such decisions and compromises for the sake of the village, and sometimes you'll make mistakes and have to live with them."

Naruto considered for a moment, and then nodded. That was true of everyone. It was just a matter of scale, he supposed. The Hokage's decisions, good and bad, affected a lot of people inside the village and beyond. Knowing that didn't make what he'd learned any easier to accept. He thought carefully for a moment as he decided what to say next. "Does that include the Uchiha massacre?"

The Hokage froze; his kindly demeanor hardening in an instant. "What?"

"Botan and Kaeda believed that you were the one who ordered Itachi to wipe out the clan. I didn't tell anyone else about that," he hastened to say. "Sasuke would have lost it."

"I'm glad you didn't. What else did they tell you?" The Hokage didn't answer the implied question.

"I could hear what they told the demon they had let out of the jar, I just couldn't do anything. They said that you had piled restrictions on the clan until they had to act to 'restore order.' Whatever that meant to them." Naruto thought a moment about how to word the next part. "They mentioned my parents, too. Seemed to think it was ironic or something that they were getting their revenge on Konoha though me."

"I see." The Hokage took a moment to relight his pipe while carefully considering his next words. "They thought I ordered Itachi to murder the entire Uchiha clan to prevent this?"

"Yeah."

"I am very glad you did not share this with the rest of your team. There were…tensions with the Uchiha." He sighed heavily. "A series of bad decisions made over the course of years and mistrust over those decisions on both sides created problems, but I was trying to find a diplomatic solution when Itachi took the matter out of my hands." He looked down sadly at his desk. "I have often wondered if Itachi knew something I did not."

"You think he might have killed his own clan for the good of the village?" Naruto stared at the old man incredulously. "That's crazy."

"Regardless of what Itachi believed, I would not have ordered such a thing." The old man fixed Naruto with a piercing look. "This is an S rank secret Naruto. If any hint of these misguided beliefs reaches the village, there could be chaos. The mere suggestion that the massacre was orchestrated by the village leaders could turn the other clans against the village." He shook his head sadly. "It was misunderstandings and decisions made based on them that caused relations with the Uchiha to deteriorate, but I refuse to believe the Uchiha would have ever betrayed the village."

"I won't say a word about it," Naruto promised without a second's hesitation. "I know what can come of acting on bad information."

The Hokage tried to suppress a wince and didn't entirely succeed. "I suppose you do," the old man acknowledged.

"Kakashi told me what happened, at least what he knows of it. He said that you made the best of a bad situation." He took a breath, giving himself a few seconds to think. "I want you to know I don't hold that against you. I don't know what else you could have done. I still want to know about my parents, though. Things that those two didn't know or say."

"Very well," the Hokage nodded, deciding Naruto had proven his maturity sufficiently. "I think you've earned that." After giving a moment's thought about how to proceed, the Hokage continued. "Your father had a great many enemies, some of which would not have hesitated to take out their anger on his newborn son. When your parents died along with so many others in the village, I knew that we had to maintain the illusion that we were at full strength. That meant that no one could be spared to protect a baby from foreign ninja seeking revenge. I gave orders that your parentage be kept secret both for your sake and the sake of the village. I decided that no one could know that you were the Fourth Hokage's son." He paused at the look on Naruto's face.

"Hearing you say it…" Naruto trailed off, thinking quickly. He felt guilty about tricking the old man, and didn't want him to feel foolish over it. "Those two weren't exactly… reliable?" He shrugged. "I didn't know what to think about what they said."

"So you didn't just allow me think they'd told you who your father was?" The old man eyed him with an expression that was equal parts irritation and reluctant pride.

Naruto looked down. "Sorry," he mumbled.

The Hokage shook his head, dismissing the matter. "It was always my intention to tell you when you were older and had proven yourself a strong and capable ninja. When you were young, what do you think you would have done with the information?"

Naruto thought about it a moment, and realized that he knew exactly what he would have done. "I… guess I would have told everyone, so they would acknowledge me," he admitted. Then, he grimaced. "That would have gone badly, wouldn't it?"

"I tend to think so," Sarutobi agreed with a slight smile.

"Thank you. I know you did what you could; what you thought was best for everyone."

"Every Hokage makes such decisions. There is always regret, but the village must come first."

"I understand." Naruto wasn't happy about it, but he couldn't fault the Hokage for putting Konoha first.

"Dismissed Naruto. You can speak to your family about the mission; about the Kyuubi and about your father. Hiro and Keiji can be trusted with that information, but do not mention the Uchiha. I've given your team a week off to rest and recuperate. Please remember that what we've discussed here is secret."

"I will." Naruto nodded and left the office. Sarutobi Hiruzen watched him go with sad eyes. What he had told the boy wasn't a lie, precisely but the full truth, in the wrong hands, would tear the village apart. He had simply let the boy draw his own conclusions based on the limited information he was given. Sarutobi's lips quirked in a small smile as he reflected that Naruto had done the same to him. It still didn't feel right. It never did, but as he had told Naruto, the village had to come first. "There are always regrets." He sighed and looked back at his paperwork. Time to deal with the next crisis.

OOOOOOOOOO

Naruto headed for Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate being home and give himself some time to think. What the Hokage had told him was plausible, but that didn't mean that he'd been telling the truth. At least, not the entire truth.

After three bowls of ramen and a lot of thought, he was still no closer to an answer. He'd likely never know if the Hokage was outright lying or telling part of the truth and letting him assume the rest. _The way I did_. Naruto still felt a bit guilty about that. He also felt guilty about misleading his team, but he knew it was for the best. If any hint of the truth reached his volatile teammate, there was no telling what Sasuke would do. Sasuke was focused on taking care of the family he had left, but that didn't mean he would calmly accept Botan's paranoid beliefs or what the Hokage had just revealed.

It sounded like no one knew precisely what had happened. Assumptions were made by or were being made by everyone involved, and he could not accept that the old man or Itachi, who was supposed to be a genius, would make such costly mistakes because they assumed something that wasn't true. There were pieces to the puzzle that he just didn't have. He sighed in frustration, knowing that he'd probably never have all the pieces.

"What's wrong, Naruto?"

He looked up to find Teuchi watching him from behind the counter as he set down another bowl of miso ramen. "Wrong?"

The old ramen chef nodded seriously. "You just ate three bowls of your favorite variety of ramen and you still look unhappy."

Naruto sighed and looked down at the new bowl. "I can't talk about it. Last mission went…weird."

"Ah." Teuchi nodded. Like all civilians in a ninja village, he knew not to ask further about that. "Well I saw your team earlier so I know they're all okay. Best advice I can give is don't dwell on what you can't change, it'll just give you ulcers. I'm sure the Hokage is doing everything he can."

 _That's kind of the problem_. Naruto smiled ruefully. "He is. And you're right. It really isn't my responsibility. Yet."

Teuch chuckled. "Still aiming to be Hokage after getting an idea of some of the headaches he has to deal with?"

"Definitely." Naruto didn't hesitate. He didn't know if he could do the job better or keep more people from getting hurt, but he was determined to try. Knowing that he would have to make hard decisions, decisions that might cost people their lives, dampened his enthusiasm a bit, but Naruto had never shied away from hard work.

Paying for his ramen, Naruto headed for home. If he was going to become Hokage, he had a lot of training to do.

OOOOOOOOOO

"We were starting to worry." Keiji said, welcoming Naruto home a day or two later than he'd expected. Hiro had made it home the day before him and explained what had happened in Wave.

"We ran into a little trouble on the way back." Naruto admitted as they settled around the table to talk. "Some missing-nin stole a jar from this village we passed through. It got really weird. The thieves wound up dead without us having to really do anything. It was…" He shrugged. "Weird about sums it up."

"Must have been an interesting jar," Hiro commented.

"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "The Hokage did say I could talk to you about it and about some things I learned during that mission." He glanced about. The twins were training in the family dojo and he, Hiro, and Keiji were the only ones in the house at the moment.

"What happened?" Keiji asked setting the table with tea for his sons.

"I met the kyuubi."

Keiji stopped in the act of pouring tea and set down the pot to regard him solemnly. "I won't ask for details of how, but is the kyuubi loose?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. We talked in my head. He's… I can't think of a good word. He's…mean. Surly. Unhappy and wanting to share it. Rude." He shrugged. "Talking to him isn't something I want to do again, ever."

"Understandable." Keiji nodded. "Do you know how he got there?"

Naruto nodded. "The Fourth sealed him inside me to protect the village. I talked to Kakashi and to the Hokage about it. It…" He paused, a frown on his face, as he thought. Then he said, "Everyone was just making the best of a bad situation, trying to protect the village and as many people as possible."

"That's a Hokage's job." Keiji sat down across from Naruto and regarded him carefully and wondering about the pause, and what the boy might have said if he hadn't stopped to think. "It's hard for someone that wasn't there to understand what it was like. That beast is toxic in so many ways. It isn't just the deliberate attacks. The creature's very presence was a threat to the village. The very old and very young died in horrifying numbers. Its chakra affected everyone around it. We could feel its hate like a poison in our veins, and those weakest and most vulnerable died just from being near it. Time was of the essence."

"There was no time for the Fourth to find another way," Naruto nodded. "People were dying."

"Yes." Keiji agreed. "You've had a taste of combat yourself. You know that a second's hesitation can mean the difference between life and death for yourself or your comrades."

"I know. I understand that each of the Hokage's did what they had to do; what they thought was best." He sat back and closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm not sure I'm okay with my father being the fourth Hokage."

"Your…father?" Keiji and Hiro stared, both taken by surprise at this bit of news.

"Yeah. He used his own son to cage the fox." Naruto frowned again as he thought about it. He had already been over this in his head many times and come to the only conclusion that made any sense. There was only one reason his father would have done that, and it wasn't just that he happened to be there. "Guess he couldn't ask anyone else to do it."

"That makes sense, I suppose." Hiro allowed, not sounding entirely sure. "How did you… What was the cost of this information?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked at him, wondering what he meant.

"I don't need details," Hiro clarified. "But, how bad a mess did you get yourself into?"

"Wasn't that bad, actually." Naruto shrugged. "The fox did most of hard work."

"But it's safely contained?" Keiji asked.

"Yes. The seal is solid. Both Kakashi and the Hokage looked at it." He gave them the highlights of the mission to fill in what blanks he was allowed to for them. "Like I said," he concluded. "Weird sums it up."

"Can't argue with that," Hiro muttered. "The fox…ate…the other demon?"

"Yeah. Gross." Naruto nodded. "I had a front row seat."

"And the demon killed the missing-nin that stole the jar? Who were they?"

Naruto shook his head. "The Hokage wanted that kept quiet. Not sure why. I guess there are some things he still has to sort through."

Hiro shrugged. "Okay. What are you going to do next?"

"The Hokage gave us the week off to rest. I guess I have some thinking to do." He picked up his tea and drank before it could get cold. "I think mainly I need to train. I've thought enough about this for a while. A long while."

Hiro smiled at that. "I've got a few days before my next mission. How about we train together?" Nothing was quite so distracting or fun as training with his little brother. Naruto had gotten better over time, but he still bored easily and got distracted. An intense and varied training routine worked best, and he knew he could provide that.

"Sounds great!" Naruto's enthusiasm returned as if a switch had been thrown. "I've got a few ideas about what I need to work on after this mission. That missing-nin who caught me was a real problem. My taijutsu needs work, and I want to find a way to get better range with some of my breath weapons."

Hiro nodded. "Sounds sensible. "Let's see that we can come up with." He took a sip of his tea. "Your form has improved a lot over the last year. You've got the basics all but mastered. Perhaps it's time to try some more advanced techniques. That will require work on your flexibility and speed."

"Drill him on the next level katas," Keiji suggested. "That will give you a feel for what he needs to focus on."

Hiro nodded. That was reasonable advice. "We can get started this afternoon if you like, but the Hokage did ask you to relax." His tone was serious, but Naruto noted the way his adoptive brother's lips twitched, as if trying to suppress a smile.

"What's more relaxing than working up a sweat in the dojo?"

Hiro grinned openly now. "So let's go." The two left the room and headed outside together.

Keiji watched them go with a fond smile of his own, but then it faded. He knew the third Hokage did what he thought was best, but he didn't know Naruto as well as Keiji. His foster son might be impatient and impulsive, but he was not stupid. Keiji seriously doubted that the Hokage had told Naruto everything, and the boy knew it.

Whether it was an outright lie or an incomplete truth, Keiji knew that Naruto had picked up on it. Naruto had been thinking hard about what he'd been told and Keiji could see that he wasn't satisfied. Keiji also knew better than to pry into matters that had been declared secret. _I just hope you know what you're doing, Hokage-sama_.


	25. Chunin Exam: Meetings

See chapter 1 for disclaimers.

CH. 25 Chunin Exam: Meetings

The week Naruto spent training with his adoptive family was one of the best he'd had in a while. When he wasn't improving his skills with Hiro or Keiji, he was helping the twins with theirs. The two were above mid-range in their academy class, but not at the top. Gen was proving very good with weapons. Her accuracy with shuriken was near the top of the class, but her ninjutsu was shoddy. She couldn't hold the leaf exercise for more than a few minutes at a time. Concentration wasn't the issue. Her chakra levels were unusually low, but Naruto assured her that that would change over time. And even if she never did become a powerhouse in that way, she could still be an amazing ninja. He told her about Rock Lee, a genin he had heard of that couldn't use chakra at all, and about his teammate Tenten who relied almost exclusively on weapons.

"So even if I don't get big chakra reserves like you, I can still be strong?"

"Absolutely," Naruto enthused. "I've seen the way you train. You push yourself hard, and you don't give in. Follow that path, and you'll be great."

Matsu was another matter. He had demonstrated a talent for genjutsu, something that was rather rare for a male of his age. As yet, his control was somewhat shoddy, but his reserves were a good size. Control really wasn't Naruto's strong point, but he had learned several useful techniques for improving control, and he drilled Matsu in these. He hadn't mastered them all himself, by any means, but he discovered that helping Matsu helped him.

His chakra control improved, as did his Taijutsu with a little help. The new form Keiji and Hiro taught him improved his balance and power. When he felt more in control of his body, he discovered that his chakra was easier to manipulate. His control was still far from perfect, but it was definitely getting better.

When the week was done, he went to the training ground where his team always met. Keiko was already there, but there was no sign of Sasuke and Kakashi. Admittedly, the last was no real surprise.

"How was your week off?" Naruto asked, plopping down on the grass next to his teammate. She was relaxing in the shade of a tree and didn't seem in a hurry to get up. She cast him a glance and smiled.

"Not bad, but I'm glad to be back to work. My parents were driving me up the wall. They were never really happy about my decision to be a konoichi, and now they worry all the time. Somehow, they heard about Zabuza and spent the whole week fussing over me. The highlight was that uncle Yoshi was visiting. He told me about missing-nin he ran into with some amazing techniques. I'm not looking to change specialties, but I'm hoping Kakashi can teach me the jutsu that Yoshi says is the basis of all the guy's techniques. Uncle Yoshi didn't know it himself, but it sounds really useful." She took a breath, a little embarrassed by her excited gushing. "How was your week?"

"Great. Hiro had a few days off and I trained with him and Keiji. I also helped the twins with their training." Naruto thought a moment. "I never thought helping them with their skills would improve mine."

Keiko nodded, understanding Keiji's reasoning. "My dad gave Haruko the job of training Akio for just that reason. Haruko had learned everything dad had to teach him, but he needed to teach it himself to become a master smith."

"Guess that makes sense." Naruto looked around as he picked up a familiar chakra signature approaching them. "Hey Sasuke. How was your week?"

"Busy," their dark-haired teammate answered as he joined them under the tree. "All of the kids were down with some stomach bug and Yasuo has been out of town on business."

"So it was just you and Matsu?" Keiko asked sympathetically. She knew from what Sasuke had mentioned in the past that Fugaku and Amaya would have been little to no help in such a situation. Sasuke nodded. "Hope they're feeling better."

"They all got over it. It was probably something one of them picked up at the academy." He shrugged. "Don't know about you two, but I'm ready to get back to work."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "And in a couple of hours, when Kakashi-sensei finally gets here, we can."

Keiko snorted at Naruto's comment, but Sasuke didn't bother. Their sensei's tendency to be late for everything had never been a source of amusement as far as he was concerned. "No sense waiting for him. Let's train till he shows up." The others agreed, and they set to work practicing.

When Kakashi arrived, only an hour late, he found Naruto walking around the clearing on his hands, and briefly wondered when the boy had met Maito Gai. Keiko was running through a kata while doing a chakra control exercise, and Sasuke was throwing shuriken and kunai in combination at a target post.

They broke off what they were doing and gave him their attention, even though Naruto kept walking on his hands. "Hello, my students. I have good news for you."

"Tora was eaten by a wolf?" Naruto asked hopefully, causing Keiko to snicker.

"Er, no."

"A fox?" Sasuke asked.

"I've decided that you're ready to participate in the Chunin exam." Kakashi decided to get the news out before they could get any further off topic. "Within just a few days, genin teams from nearly a dozen villages will be arriving in Konoha, with their jonin-sensei. If you feel you're ready, I'll enter your names."

"Absolutely!" Naruto got his feet on the ground so he could properly jump up and down with excitement. Again Keiko snickered.

Sasuke nodded. "I, too, wish to become a chunin."

"Guess I'll make it unanimous." Keiko placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Save that energy for the exam. I think you'll need it."

"He will." Kakashi confirmed. "These exams are a serious business, not to be entered lightly. People can and do die during them."

"How's that different than any mission above D-rank?" Naruto asked.

"The exams are considered a C-rank mission, actually," Kakashi said, ignoring Naruto's question but acknowledging the point. "You'll find this a bit more challenging than the last two C-ranks you had. I can't tell you much about them since the format changes each time, but you'll have the chance to get promoted. Being a chunin comes with certain privileges and a lot of responsibilities."

"So what can you tell us about the exams?" Sasuke spoke up, realizing that becoming a chunin would be the first step to gaining the power he needed to protect what was left of his clan, and perhaps gain revenge on Itachi.

"They're different every year," Kakashi answered. "'Specially prepared so that no one can give their competing genin an advantage. After all, giving you any kind of advantage would compromise the tests. Making it too easy would lead to the promotion of those that aren't actually ready to be chunin." Kakashi watched his students digest that. They weren't happy, but they did see the logic in it. If any village or jonin-sensei cheated, they would only be cheating themselves and their genin.

"I get it." Naruto nodded, looking more serious than any of them were used to seeing him.

"You'll be given the same information at each stage of the exam as every other competing team," Kakashi explained. "Just do your best and you'll be fine. I know you can do it." His students straightened, looking proud. "I can't tell you much, but I can tell you that the genin teams from the other villages will be arriving soon; teams from Sand, Stone, Water, Grass, and several others. There are tensions between some of these villages, but there is a truce in place for the purposes of the exam. We'll be treating them like honored guests unless they deliberately start trouble."

"When do the exams start?" Keiko asked for her teammates.

"In one week. You've said you want to compete, but I want you to think seriously about it over the next few days. If you feel you aren't ready, there's no shame in saying so and waiting till the next one."

Sasuke snorted derisively. "We're ready. No one's backing out." The other two nodded.

"Okay then." He handed each student a form. "Fill these out and have them ready to hand in when you report to the academy at 8:00 AM one week from today. In the meantime, we have a mission today."

Fortunately, the mission did not involve chasing a demonic feline. Instead, they spent their day clearing a farmer's field of stones. It looked like someone had gone a little crazy with an earth jutsu. They were tired and sore by the end of the day, but it was still preferable to chasing Tora.

They returned home with their forms and read them over. It was all fairly simple and straightforward. None of them had any difficulty getting parental consent, even though it technically wasn't required.

Just as Kakashi had told them, foreign teams started arriving three days before the exam started. Naruto met one of them around mid-morning as he was running an errand for Keiji. The sound of angry voices drew his attention to a cross street he was passing, and he went to investigate. A group of familiar academy students was shouting at a teenager in a black cat suit with a Suna headband. Naruto blinked and looked again. _Yep. Cat suit. With makeup._ Then he realized that one of the students was dangling from the cat-suited teenager's outstretched hand.

"You need to watch where you're going you stupid brat." He gave the boy, who Naruto recognized as Konohamaru, the Hokage's grandson, a shake.

"It was an accident!" Moegi, an orange-haired girl and one of Konohamaru's friends yelled at him. "Put him down!"

"You heard her." Naruto called, approaching. His first impulse was to give the boy the fight he seemed to want, but Keiji had worked hard on teaching him to think first. Starting a fight with a team from Suna wouldn't serve anyone's interests. He tried reason instead. "You're guests in this village. Attacking the Hokage's grandson is not a good way to make a first impression."

The young man from Suna stopped and glanced at Naruto. "Grandson?" The blonde girl standing with him, watching the entire affair with disinterest also looked at him, frowning slightly. Naruto noted a Suna headband on her as well, worn around her neck.

"Yes." Naruto confirmed. "He's the Hokage's grandson. You really should put him down."

"Let him go, Kankuro." All three of them turned at the monotone voice to see a redheaded boy about Naruto's age, watching them. Naruto blinked in surprise. He knew he wasn't the most observant person, but he was certain that the boy hadn't been there a second ago, and he hadn't noticed the boy's chakra either. "You're embarrassing us. Stop it or I'll kill you."

The cat-suit wearing genin, Kankuro apparently, dropped Konohamaru at once. "S-sorry, Gaara. I-"

"Shut up." The redhead lost interest in the matter and turned away, heading down the street toward the section of town where most of the hotels were located. Naruto frowned after him but didn't comment. He wasn't sure what to make of the boy. The two Suna genin fell in behind the redhead without a word, apparently leery of drawing his attention.

 _Huh. Weird bunch_. He considered following them, but decided that would just cause more trouble. It wasn't like they were intruders in the village. He made sure that Konohamaru and his friends were okay and then went on his way. He'd seen the boy before, in his grandfather's office, but he didn't know him very well, and he didn't know the others at all.

"Yeah, we're fine." Konohamaru huffed. "You didn't have to interfere. I coulda taken him."

"Yeah, right." He hadn't meant to sound derisive, but the boy glared at him. "He's a genin and twice your size," Naruto told him, figuring the kid needed a dose of reality before he got himself hurt. "No matter how good you are at what the academy taught you, it's no substitute for experience."

Konohamaru didn't look convinced, but a dark-haired boy with glasses, Udon if Naruto recalled, was nodding. "We've got a long way to go, Konohamaru," the boy sniffed, "before we can handle even a genin."

"I'm sure you'll get there if you work hard," Naruto said. "Keep training hard every day and you'll be great."

"I wouldn't have expected to hear common sense from you of all people." The condescending tone made Naruto bristle, even as he turned to find a skinny man in a jonin's vest watching them.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, irritated by the man's tone and the way he was looking down his nose at him. This was obviously one of those people who judged him without knowing him. The man might even be one of those that believed that Naruto was the Fox crammed into a human skin. He knew of a few villagers that thought that.

"I am Ebisu. Special Jonin and tutor to the honorable grandson of the Third Hokage." The self-importance in the man's voice rubbed Naruto the wrong way, lowering his already low opinion of the special jonin even further.

Naruto smirked. "So you're 'special' huh? I can tell."

The three children snickered, and Ebisu scowled at the village prankster. "Perhaps the honorable grandson is not the only one in need of a lesson."

"True." Naruto agreed. "But I've got things to do. No time to teach you not to be so stuck up. I think that'll take a while."

"You miserable brat!" Ebisu seethed as the honorable grandson and his friends laughed. "Very well. You shall receive a lesson in manners. Please stand back, children." Konohamaru and his friends backed up. "You believe that you have something to teach me? Even after you were taken in by the Denkouyama clan you remained an incorrigible prankster, and your grades at the academy improved only marginally. Your behavior improved not at all. If you think you have something to teach me; then show me."

Naruto considered a moment, and then grinned widely and used a jutsu he hadn't in a while, adding a twist to it. The kids stared wide-eyed and Ebisu blanched and tried to look away from the barely clad and very well endowed young women that suddenly surrounded him.

"Ooh! Ebisu-sensei. You're so strong and smart," they cooed at him pressing in close. The special jonin wasn't sure what to do with his hands or eyes as he found himself hemmed in on all sides by forbidden fruit. He never saw the blow that put his lights out.

Naruto ended the jutsu and stood over the unconscious jonin for a moment with a smirk. He turned to find Konohamaru and his friends staring at him with something akin to hero-worship.

"Can you teach us that?" Konohamaru asked.

Naruto hesitated. It would be nice to pass on the jutsu and give the perverts of the village a hard time, and it would really annoy their stuck-up teacher. "Well, the shadow clone jutsu takes a lot more chakra than any of you have. The sexy jutsu, though. That I could teach you."

The three cheered.

OOOOOOOOOO

Sasuke gathered his purchases and placed them on the storage scroll he'd laid out on the counter. Three sacks of rice, a gallon of milk, two loaves of bread, and some dried beef. He channelled chakra into the scroll and the items vanished in a puff of smoke.

"That really never gets old." The grocer smiled. "Everything comes out fresh?"

"Depends on how long it's in there. Time doesn't stop with a seal like this. The food is just protected from most accidents and is easier to carry."

"Still a very useful technique."

"Definitely." Sasuke agreed as he rolled up the scroll and tucked it into his pack. He needed to get home and pull some vegetables from the garden if they were to have dinner ready. The clan's finances were solid. They were still quite wealthy and could afford better, but Yasuo counselled thrift in order to maintain that wealth as there wasn't nearly as much coming in to the clan coffers as their used to be. It also served to teach the children the value of money and of living within one's means.

He had only two stops left to make before he headed for home. He needed to pick up some medicine for his father and some panels for a door that had been damaged in an accident early in the week.

He was rather distracted planning the rest of the day, but he was not oblivious. The person following him was subtle, and most civilians wouldn't have had a clue, but he spotted them quickly.

Entering a randomly chosen store, he got out of line of site and put on a henge and created a basic clone before immediately walking out and doubling back the way he'd come to catch a glimpse of those following him. He knew they were ninja, but that didn't exactly narrow the range of possibilities. The basic clone he had created made itself visible in the door before turning back inside and vanishing.

Two figures evidencing chakra signatures approached and Sasuke took in their appearance. They were dressed in fairly ordinary civilian clothes but their movements alone, the way they carried themselves, outed them as ninja.

The dark-haired girl met his eyes and grinned. "Nice trick. Might have worked on some."

"It got us face to face," Sasuke pointed out, dismissing the henge. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Just sizing up the competition," the teenage boy with her answered with a smirk. "After all, we'll be seeing and probably fighting each other in the Chunin exams."

"Where are you from?" The two weren't wearing headbands, which was a violation of the terms under which visiting teams entered the village.

"Why don't we save that as a surprise?"

"Like most ninja, I don't like surprises unless I'm the one providing them. Why don't you tell me who you are and maybe I won't report to ANBU that foreign ninja are walking around the village in disguise?"

The boy laughed. "I like him," he said to his companion. "This is going to be fun." He turned back to Sasuke and tugged at the collar of his shirt, revealing a headband around his neck. It had a musical note on the plate. "You'll have to figure the rest out for yourself."

OOOOOOOOOO

Kankuro walked into the shop with list in hand. _Everything I need should be here_ , he thought, looking around the small smith's shop. There was a girl of about 12 behind the counter. She smiled brightly at him.

"Welcome to the Kimura Smithy. How can I help you?"

"I need some supplies and a couple of precision tools." He rattled off what he needed, quietly cursing the display of Gaara's temper that had damaged one of his puppets. He needed metal components and certain hard wood pieces that he would still have to modify to suit his needs.

"We have those," the girl said after a moment. The shop kept the woods he was asking for on hand for making handles and braces. "Odd mix. What are you making?"

"That's not your concern."

"I only hope to make the work easier on you. If you're getting these tools, you'll also need a small rasp. Some different grades of sandpaper might be in order as well. I find the hard woods you're getting can be hard to apply a finish to with too coarse a paper. Genjutsu is fine for making wood look like skin, but the more realistic the appearance, the less effort you have to put into it."

"I appreciate the thought, but I have what I need." He stopped. "What? Why would I want to make wood look like skin?" How had she known about that?

"You're from Suna, aren't you?" The girl practically gushed. "Suna is famous for its puppet masters. I'd love a chance to examine one someday. A puppet that is," she added hastily.

"Can't help you there," Kankuro said, slightly amused by her enthusiasm and slightly disturbed by her perceptiveness.

"I understand. Can't go showing off your weapons."

"Um...yeah. Could I just get the stuff I need?"

"Sure." She took the list and vanished into the back to collect the items."

"Sorry about that," a teenage boy a year or so older than Kankuro said, approaching. "Keiko doesn't show much interest in the smith's art for the most part, but puppets fascinate her for some reason."

"I like her enthusiasm, but she's off-base."

"If you say so." The boy shrugged, not really caring. "She'll have your materials in a couple minutes."

Kankuro nodded. "Thanks."

The girl came back a moment later with an armload of supplies. "Here you go." She put the items on the counter and started to tally the total. "Sure you don't want the sandpaper?"

"I have what I need. Thanks anyway." He handed over the money for his purchases, picked them up and started to turn toward the door.

"See you at the exam."

Kankuro stopped. "What?"

"The Chunin exam," she clarified, cheerfully. "Konoha Ninja Academy in three days. Doors open at 8:00. Don't be late. I'm looking forward to seeing your puppets in action."

"See you then," Kankuro nodded, deciding that that solved at least one mystery. The girl must be a Konoha genin set to take part in the exams. She must have learned about puppetry from her sensei at some point. He hoped she didn't spoil the surprise for whoever he wound up fighting. That was half the fun. He didn't bother asking that of her, though. She'd at the very least tell her teammates. Perhaps eliminating them during the survival test would be prudent.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Naruto arrived at the Academy at 7:30. There was already a crowd there. A quick survey of the group of Konoha and foreign genin located Keiko, but Sasuke was running late.

"Have you seen Sasuke?" She asked as he approached.

"No. I just got here. The kids have the day off the Academy today. He's probably just getting them organized."

"Probably. I know he won't miss this." Keiko scanned the crowd again.

"He'll be here," Naruto said confidently. Getting stronger was one of Sasuke's obsessions, right below taking care of what was left of his clan. No way would he miss the Chunin exam. Sure enough, about 10 minutes before the doors opened, Sasuke joined them.

"Ready to be chunin?" Keiko asked as he approached.

Several of the people around them laughed. Keiko glanced at them. "We'll see whose laughing after the exam is over."

"Yeah." Naruto glared at the laughing members of the crowd. "Don't underestimate us."

"Ignore them," Sasuke advised. "They don't matter." He turned to the doors. "Almost time to go in." They waited quietly until, a few minutes later, the doors opened. They filed in with the rest of the hopefuls, each team keeping a careful eye on those around them, clearly not trusting anyone outside their own team. It made for an awkward progression through the building, and it was one of the reasons no one saw the first barrier to their progress. Two chunin stood outside the door to room 315.

"You punks think you're ready to be chunin? What a joke." The one on the right shoved back a Taki genin who attempted to bull his way through. "Weak brats. No way you're ready to be chunin."

Keiko quietly urged her teammates around the group and on toward the stairs to the third floor. She knew a genjutsu when she saw one, but she saw no point in sharing that insight with the other teams. Once they were on the stairs, out of earshot of the others, she told the boys.

"Huh." Naruto blinked. "I was wondering why 315 was on the second floor." Sasuke didn't comment, but they all pressed on quietly. Up the stairs and down the hall, the building was fairly simple in its layout. A couple of genin stood by the door, waiting in the hall outside the door. Naruto recognized Sakura and Ami from his academy class.

"Sakura! How've you been?" Naruto grinned, remembering his crush fondly. That grin faded when she scowled at him. Some things, it seemed, didn't change.

"I thought team four didn't pass the genin test," Sasuke commented, looking at the pair.

"We passed," Sakura said proudly. "I've gotten a lot stronger since the academy, Sasuke." She smiled shyly at her crush. Sasuke didn't respond, not wanting to encourage her or create conflict, given that Ami was alternating between glaring at her and smiling at him.

"Where's Jiro?" Keiko asked, deciding to change the subject.

"He was held up downstairs," Ami answered. "Some kid with a bowl cut challenged him to a fight. Don't know why."

"Not like being rookie of the year means anything outside the academy," Sakura agreed. It was about this time that Rock Lee came into view. With them were the students who had been stalled at the genjutsu in the hall below. Keiko repressed a sigh, wondering who had spilled the beans.

"Hey Lee," Naruto called. He had met the boy a few times on the training field.

"Naruto, hello." Lee greeted him politely. "I am pleased to see your sensei entered you as well."

"Should be fun." Naruto grinned. "Sakura tells me you picked a fight with Jiro. How'd that go?"

"I was hoping for better," the taijutsu specialist admitted. "He is strong, but I would have beaten him, had our contest not been interrupted."

"Dream on," a gruff voice spoke from behind Lee. A stocky boy with close-cropped black hair approached. His dark grey shirt and pants with black leg wrappings had replaced the casual civilian clothes he'd favoured as an academy student. The loose sleeves of the long-sleeved shirt he wore shifted enough to reveal forearm guards that were bristling with throwing weapons.

Naruto nodded casually to him. "Hey, Jiro. Glad you made it."

"Naruto." The boy nodded; his manner cordial if not overly warm. The two didn't know each other well, but the Sasaki family and the Denkouyama were allies, both having come from other countries only a generation before. They hadn't been made to feel terribly welcome at first by the well-established clans in the village, and leaned on each other to an extent, early on. The two boys were nodding acquaintances, having shared a few meals at gatherings of the two clans. "I knew you'd be here. We've heard a few wild stories about your team."

"Should we be preening or issuing blanket denials?" Keiko asked. The question earned some chuckles.

You don't have time for either," a familiar voice said from near the door. They turned to find Kakashi watching them. "I'm pleased you all made it. Now the hard part begins. Good luck." He vanished in a puff of smoke just before the door opened, admitting the group to the room where a number of candidates were already waiting.


	26. Chunin Exam: First Test

See ch. 1 for disclaimers

CH. 26: Chunin Exam: First Test

The classroom team 7 entered was one of the larger ones at the academy, but it was still crowded, and seemed even more so due to the way people were standing. Clusters of three were scattered around the room, each group trying hard to maintain their distance from the other teams, especially those from other nations.

Suspicious glances were flying in all directions, and each time a group shifted to put distance between themselves and one team, they drew closer to another. Hidden Rain genin eyed the Hidden Cloud genin warily and shifted away, which only brought them closer to the Hidden Mist genin, which wasn't any better, Keiko guessed, based on their reaction.

She nudged Sasuke, gesturing to the groups and the way they were moving and looking at each other. Sasuke nodded, allowing a slight smile. Keiko was clearly enjoying the show the others were unintentionally providing. Hinata and Kiba chose that moment to approach them.

"I-I'm glad you made it," she stammered, looking at Naruto with downcast eyes.

"Good to see all the rookies made it." Kiba grinned. "Even Sakura, Ami, and Jiro are here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jiro asked irritably. "You think our training hasn't been as tough as yours? Think we didn't earn our shot?"

"H-he didn't say that," Hinata tried to intervene, playing peace-maker.

"He didn't need to." Jiro glared at the Inuzaka boy.

"You guys might want to hold it down," a quiet voice advised from behind Jiro. They turned to find an older teenager with silver hair and glasses. He nodded toward the other teams, all of whom were watching the leaf genin with expressions ranging from thinly veiled suspicion to open hostility.

"It's not a good idea to draw attention to yourselves at these exams, especially as most of you are rookies. Giving away information about your personalities, relationships, and especially abilities, in a room full of people you could wind up fighting just isn't smart."

Naruto looked around the room, noting the way the genin from the other villages were watching them. He snorted dismissively, remembering one of Keiji's most important lessons about concealing one's thoughts and feelings. It boiled down to 'show no fear.' "I'm not worried."

"Yeah," Kiba chimed in, "but you're a moron." Naruto glared at him, promptly forgetting the rest of Keiji's lesson.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked; trying to divert everyone before the two could start fighting.

"Kabuto Yakushi. I'm a leaf genin, like you. I've taken the exam before; several times actually, so I've got some experience and knowledge I'm willing to share if you'll let me." He drew a stack of cards from his pocket. "These are my own creation. Nin info cards. These contain information about most of the past and many current participants in the exam. I've spent years gathering it."

"How do they work?" Sasuke asked curiously. The other Leaf genin crowded around; intrigued at the idea of gaining an advantage over their opponents in the exam.

"I had to be careful that no one else could access them," Kabuto explained. "They're keyed to my chakra, among other things. When I want to review the information, I just channel a little of my chakra into the card, in just the right way, and the information is made visible." He pulled a card from the deck, and set it on the floor. The rookies and Rock Lee's team gathered around as he demonstrated.

"This is a map of the elemental nations, showing the distribution of the candidates in this exam." He shuffled his deck a bit. "Here. Naruto Uzumaki." He channeled chakra to the card and studied the result. "It says you're a ninjutsu specialist and you've done 30 D-ranks, one C-rank that turned into a B-rank and a C-rank that turned into an A-rank. Bet there are some interesting stories there. Sounds like you don't have much luck with C-ranks."

"Do you have information on Gaara?" Naruto asked, instead of rising to the bait. A room full of potential enemies probably wasn't the best place to be telling tales. "He's from Suna." While he was curious, the other two Suna genin had been terrified of him, and it might be a good idea to know why. Naruto mainly wanted the older genin to talk about someone besides him and his team.

"Let's see." Kabuto smiled and began shuffling his deck. "Can't promise it will be complete, but I've got something on almost everyone here. Ah. Here it is." He channeled chakra to another card, and writing appeared under an image of the redheaded boy Naruto had seen.

"What's it say?" Sasuke asked, curious as well, after hearing what Naruto had to say about the boy.

"Interesting. He's the son of the Kazekage and serves on a team with his two siblings. He's done 8 C-ranks and…one B-rank as a genin. There's also a note here indicating that he's never been injured on a mission."

"That seems unlikely," Keiko offered.

"The information is accurate," Kabuto assured her. "He's either very good or very lucky."

"Do you have one on Rock Lee?" Jiro asked. Rock Lee looked up in surprise at Jiro, wondering what the other genin was thinking.

"Hmm. Rock Lee." Again, Kabuto shuffled his cards before pulling one out and rattling off stats. "Interesting." He glanced up at the green-clad genin. "Says you're a taijutsu specialist."

"Considering who his teacher is," Naruto said, shrugging, "that's not really a surprise."

"I suppose not," Sasuke allowed. He looked back at Kabuto. "What do you have on the Otto team?"

"Nothing, I'm afraid," Kabuto admitted. "Otto is small and just sprang up recently. They haven't made much of a name for themselves, even the jonin. The genin haven't done anything of note outside their village. No one knows anything about them."

"We don't like being insulted," a gravelly voice offered from behind him. "You can put that on your card."

Kabuto and the others turned to find the three Otto genin approaching and looking very angry. He tried to smile and pacify them, but before he got two words out, the burly one swung at him, missing by a wide margin, but Kabuto still grunted and dropped to his knees. The lenses of his glasses cracked and fell from their frames.

"Time you learn to show respect." The leader of the group stood over him, ready to deliver another blow.

"That's enough!"

The words, coming from nowhere and everywhere, startled the genin. They looked around, searching for the source, but a burst of smoke on one side of the room revealed a tall, heavily muscled and heavily scarred man in a trench coat, backed by several chunin.

"I teach the lessons here. My name is Ibiki Morino. I'm the proctor of this exam and, as of now, your worst enemy." He glared at the team from Otto. "No fighting is allowed unless your proctors permit it. Understood?"

"Yeah, whatever." One of the team shrugged.

"Give me your paperwork and I'll give you your seat assignments. I don't want you miserable brats wasting any more of my time than you already have. Get in here and find your seats." His words were colored with just enough killing intent that no one dared hesitate over his orders. They filed into the next room without another word.

Naruto found himself sitting next to Hinata. Sakura was two rows behind him, he noted, and Sasuke and Keiko were toward the back of the room, separated by seven other genin. As far as he could tell, after a quick visual sweep of the room, no one was seated next to a teammate. He supposed that was intended to make it more difficult to cheat. His thoughts were interrupted by the test proctor.

"I don't want to hear a sound out of any of you brats while I explain the rules, because I am not repeating myself." His eyes swept the room and noted that everyone was paying him their full attention.

"You will each start with 10 points, one per question. Each question you get wrong will cost you a point, and if you hit zero, your entire team fails." There were gasps and a few objections from around the room, but they all fell silent at Ibiki's glare.

"The sentinels stationed around the room," he gestured at the chunin who had taken seats along the walls, "are here to watch for signs of cheating. Each time you're caught, they'll deduct two points. If any of you hit zero, I'll toss your entire team out."

He began passing out the tests as he finished. "I will not give you the 10th question until 15 minutes before the end of the hour I've allotted for the test. Begin."

Naruto flipped over his sheet and stared at the first question.

 _Break a code? When did we ever cover that?_ He looked at the next question, only to discover that it was worse: High level math involving the flight paths of multiple kunai. The next one was actually harder. Each one, he quickly realized, was harder than the one before it. _What the hell?_

Realizing there was no way to pass the test without cheating, he began to consider his options. It wasn't something he'd really come prepared to do. Keiji had gone beyond what the academy had taught him about intelligence gathering techniques, but all required some preparation. He had learned nothing that would help in a situation like this. He supposed he could fill the room with steam and snatch someone else's in the confusion, but everyone would know where the steam came from. Aside from being absurdly obvious and likely to get his entire team literally tossed out, he didn't want to display his bloodline.

Hinata noticed him looking worried and moved her arm slightly so he could see her paper. He realized that she must have used her Byakugan to read the answers off someone else's test paper. Realizing what she was offering, Naruto shook his head.

"I can't do that. It would get you in trouble." He had meant it as a simple statement of fact, but the smile that spread across her face seemed way out of proportion to the simple courtesy he was showing. He nodded politely and turned back to his blank page. There were several techniques he could think of that would get him the information he needed, but they all required preparations he hadn't made or time he didn't have.

It was just as well. The idea of cheating went against his nature. He was certain there was more to the test than they had been told. It looked like his only hope was for there to be another way to pass. So he waited, doodling on his paper while he tried to work out the problems for lack of anything productive to do. He was curious as to how his teammates and friends were doing, but he dared not look around for fear of getting them and himself tossed out.

He had begun to discern a pattern in the nonsense that was the coded message from the first question when time ran out. Following instructions, he put his pencil down and turned over the test sheet, mostly to hide the fact that he hadn't done anything.

"Listen closely," Ibiki instructed. "While I explain the rules of the 10th question…" He glared around the room, and no one dared make a sound. "…You have the option of not taking the 10th question. You can back out right now. If you do, you and your team fail the exam."

"Then why would anyone do that?" Temari of the Sand asked.

"Simple." Ibiki let a slightly sadistic smile play over his scarred face. "If you try to answer the 10th question and get it wrong, you not only fail this exam, you lose the right to ever take it again. You'll remain genin forever."

There was an immediate uproar. One participant complained that he'd taken the exam before and there had never been a rule like that.

"You were lucky not to have had me for a proctor," Ibiki answered, clearly enjoying the genins' reactions. "Those are the terms. Delay your chance at promotion or risk never getting promoted. Now decide." He watched the group with an expression that was impossible to read. The only thing that was clear was that he was done listening to the whining about the unfairness of the situation.

There were muttered conversations around the room, and Ibiki didn't comment. Finally, one of the genin raised his hand. "I'm out."

That seemed to open a flood gate, and teams began dropping out in a torrent. Three teams. Four teams. After seven teams left, the exodus slowed. Naruto watched them go angrily, and after a couple of minutes of this, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Don't underestimate us!" He pounded on the desk, getting everyone's attention. "Every mission carries risks bigger than missing out on a stupid promotion. I'm not afraid of your question. Get on with it, and if I get stuck as a genin, don't doubt for a second that I'll still be Hokage someday!"

The students that had still looked uncertain, even those that had been starting to rise, stopped and settled. Their confidence, Ibiki noted with some surprise, seemed to have been restored by the blonde genin's outburst. "You're all certain of that?" he barked. His eyes swept over the room with a touch of killing intent behind the gaze. A few flinched, but no one else left. "Your funeral."

He gave the class one final long look before saying, "In that case, all of you that remain…pass."

There was a moment of stunned silence. Then, there was uproar.

"What do you mean, we pass?" Temari demanded. She wasn't the only one who was confused, but she did seem to be the only one not cowed by or at least warry of Ibiki. "What about the 10th question?" Several others echoed her confusion now that someone had spoken up.

"The 10th question," Ibiki replied, "was the entire point of the exam. It was essentially this; are you willing to risk everything to accomplish a mission? Those of you who stayed told me you were." He glanced at Naruto. "Blondie here was right. Every mission carries a risk greater than losing a promotion. You risk your life, the lives of your comrades; sometimes the safety of your village or nation. If you can't make those decisions, then you have no business being chunin. In fact, you should probably look for a different line of work."

"So what was the point of the first nine?" Temari wanted to know.

"Simple. It was to test your ability to gather information covertly while under duress. Whether in war time or peace time, you will have missions that require you to learn things others don't want you to know. You have to be able to gather that information without alerting them."

He let the genin absorb that for a moment. He had more planned for them, but before he could speak, he saw a glint out of the corner of his eye and was forced to step back. Four kunai shattered the window; two stuck to the ceiling and two in the floor, spreading out a banner between them with a name on it. Ibiki repressed a sigh.

"The proctor for the second exam, Miturashi Anko, has arrived!" The woman, apparently named Miturashi, stopped and looked out over the room. "Ibiki! Why are there so many left? You're slipping."

"You came in early. Again."

"Oh. Oops. No matter. My phase of the exam will cut this number in half, for a start." Her grin at the prospect was the most predatory expression that Naruto had ever seen on a human. This did not bode well.


End file.
